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Marissa Defazio
Conrad
ERWC
March, 2016

Juvenile Justice
Murder. It is a word that has no positive connotation. A word that chills you; makes your
stomach turn and the hair raise on the back of your neck. Murder is a word that we associate with
ruthlessness and cold blood. It is a word with such complexity as well, a word that includes so
much more than killing, but science, justice and morality. All of these big words and confusing
issues are inherently tied to killing a human being, so of course the last thing we associate with
the word murder is the word child. Murder is something that unfortunately happens every day,
but when a child is the culprit, its a whole different story. We become downright flabbergasted.
We repeatedly ask ourselves why and how, and most importantly: What are we going to do about
it? Do we lock up a child for the rest of their life because they committed a crime that, according
to society, is the most heinous? Or, do we consider the circumstances?
What makes this issue such a confusing one is the diversity between cases and the
reasoning for the crimes committed. Ask your mom and dad and theyll tell you that the teenager
years are an emotional rollercoaster; it can be an overwhelming journey to adulthood. Read
articles about the teenage brain and theyll explain that there is a massive loss of brain tissue [in
the frontal lobes] during the teenage years which inhibit our violent passions, rash actions and
regulate our emotions (Thompson). This is all great scientific support that urges us to re-think
about the punishment for teen killers. But what about cases like Nancy Langerts and her family?
This is the case of David Biro, a high school student, who broke into the Langert house and

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awaited their return. When they did, Biro shot husband Richard execution style and cornered
Nancy who, recalled by her sister, begged for the life of her unborn child as he shot her
(Jenkins) in the stomach and left her to die. Biro later bragged about the incident to his friends
until the police found him. At his court hearing, a friend of Biro testified, relaying what Biro had
told him prior the killing, saying that he just wanted to know what it would feel like. Biro was
convicted to life without parole. Then there are cases like Jacob Inds. Ind and his brother were
both terrified of their step-father who, for years of their childhood, would force them into their
house bathroom and maliciously molest them while their mother turned a blind eye. Caged by
fear and no way out, Jacob shot and killed his step-father and mother at 15. Ind was also
sentenced to life without parole.
In 2012, the Supreme Court addressed the issue. It began with a 5 to 4 ruling that (at the
time) stated that the current ruling offended the constitutions prohibition of cruel and unusual
punishment (Barnes). A 5 to 4 ruling itself says a lot about how controversial the issue really is.
The argument was somewhat sparked when it was stated that the unfairness of mandatory
death-in-prison sentences that dont consider the unique status of children and their potential
for change. The 4 other more conservative Justices in the court rebuked this idea by claiming a
teenager convicted of murder presents grave and challenging questions of morality our role is
to apply the law, not answer such questions (Roberts). In 2016, the answer to this question was
officially stated when the Supreme Court ruled that those sentenced to life in prison as a teenager
must have a chance to argue that they should be released. This ruling has affected lives of those
who had been sentenced to prison until death all over the nation, especially that of Greg Ousley.
Greg Ousley recalls at 14 all I ever thought about was suicide as he is interviewed by
journalist Scott Anderson. When Greg was 14, he remembers a childhood of negligence by his

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mother and father, rarely receiving any type of affection from his father, and a mother who
became mentally unstable as Greg hit puberty. After years of struggling with constant thought of
suicide, and the slightly comforting thought of killing his parents whenever he got mad at them,
Greg went through with it. Greg took a 12 gauge shotgun in the bedroom where he shot his dad
and killed him, while Mom tried to call the police but didnt make it to the phone before Greg
killed her too. Gregs alibi didnt add up and he eventually confessed to the police, begging to
keep what hed done from his family. Greg was sentenced to life without parole, but what makes
Gregs story so eye-catching is his outstanding achievements and rehabilitation in prison. He
managed to become a model inmate, writes Anderson. After attending nearly every anger and
stress management course the penal system has to offer, he pursued a bachelor degree in Liberal
Arts graduating as magna cum laude. These are excellent achievements for anyone, but
especially an inmate. After years of frequent phone calls and visits, Scott Anderson, a reliable
source, says that Greg is ready to be back in normal society. In the article written about Ousley,
Anderson concludes that he can teach the world that, even what people claim to be the worst of
the worst, so intolerable that they have to be put in prison forever, can find hope and genuine
grief of their mistake.
But is this enough? Is it enough to feel sorry for a crime so irreversible and devastating to
so many other lives other than the one took? It is a question that can only be answered by those
who have suffered such a major loss. If your child, brother, sister, mother or father was
maliciously taken away by a hormonal teenager, would you believe in the possibility of
rehabilitation, the possibility that there is good in even those that kill? It is a question that will be
contemplated by society for years to come. However, showing optimism, concern on everyones
behalf, and looking out for everyones best interest is a great start, and the Supreme Court has

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carried out those tasks very efficiently. Now its time for society to watch for the signs of
depression and mental instability and act before its too late.