16 year old charge with murder when cop kills his accomplise in a robbery

**gixxerboy1** · 06-29-2011, 09:49 AM

The Huffington Post is reporting that Brandon Ross, 16, has been charged with murder after a Chicago police officer fatally shot his 15-year-old friend Tatioun Williams Wednesday on the South Side. Ross and his friend allegedly robbed a man at gunpoint in the 7000 block of South Cregier Avenue Wednesday evening and were confronted by police officers a short time later, the Chicago Tribune reports.

When the officers told the teens to stop, Williams, who was holding the gun, allegedly turned in the officer's direction, Fox Chicago reports. Fearing for her life, the officer shot the 15-year-old, killing him.

Now Ross is being charged with murder because under Illinois state law, police can charge someone with murder when an accomplice is killed during the commission of a crime. Even though Ross didn't pull the trigger, he has been charged as an adult with murder and armed robbery. He was ordered held on $900,000 bail Friday.

Um, that's a stretch. Robbery and murder are two different things. How are you going to charge a 16-year-old as an adult when the police officer actually shot and killed the suspect? Sounds like the prison-industrial complex at work, not the pursuit of justice.

No, Ross should not have been out robbing anybody; had he not done such an idiotic thing, he would not be in this predicament in the first place. However, just because he made a bad decision does not mean he should be slapped with a charge that will all but end his life, especially when he did not pull the trigger -- the police officer did. We get it -- if you do the crime, do the time. In this case, at least go to jail for doing the actual crime.

**gixxerboy1** · 06-29-2011, 09:50 AM

imo this is bullshit. The kid should goto jail for armed robbery. But murder is ridiculous. Are laws are getting really out of control in the US

**toothache** · 06-29-2011, 09:52 AM

I've never heard of that law. Is it new?

**gixxerboy1** · 06-29-2011, 09:58 AM

no idea. Just read it in the article

**stack_it** · 06-29-2011, 10:27 AM

I doubt the charge will stand up in court. It's probably being used more in this case more to scare the kid straight. Otherwise he'd be out of juvie in 6 months thinking he's hard and bragging about his robbery charge. Maybe facing life in prison will wake him up a bit.

Honestly tho if it does hold up then it's just one less person on the street that would rather take what I work for rather than work themselves.

**auslifta** · 06-29-2011, 11:02 AM

I was thinking excatly the same thing on all counts stack it

**Shol'va** · 06-29-2011, 11:40 AM

unfortunately it has the potential for abuse. What if you are with your friends on a saturday night cruising down the strip and stop at a light and another car full of dudes pulls up and starts talking smack and your friend in the front seat pulls a gun out of nowhere and shoots the the guy in the other car. The police chase you guys down and your friend refuses to give up so they kill him. Now you were just out for a fun night but since you were with someone who did this knowingly or not you were an accomplice and since the cops killed your friend and you were with him in the car you are now being charged with murder. See What I Mean? You didn't even know your friend had a gun but it possibly doesn't matter under this law. Yeah we need to get these criminals off the streets and Brandon Ross was no angel and was headed down a lifetime of prison. I'm just concerned that the cops will use this for careless abuse of their power. Not that I hate all cops..........But ok well I don't exactly like them either, but there are a few, so I'm biased.

**JohnnyVegas** · 06-29-2011, 11:54 AM

I guess the law is to make sure people pay for the decisions they made. If you pull a robbery, and your accomplice is shot, you are responsible for the death of your accomplice. Not saying it is a good law, just trying to think it through. In this same "transference of criminality", should an accomplice be charged with murder if his partner in crime killed their robbery victim?

Personally, I see nothing wrong with dropping the hammer on criminals that commit armed robbery.

**gixxerboy1** · 06-29-2011, 12:24 PM

Originally Posted by JohnnyVegas

I guess the law is to make sure people pay for the decisions they made. If you pull a robbery, and your accomplice is shot, you are responsible for the death of your accomplice. Not saying it is a good law, just trying to think it through. In this same "transference of criminality", should an accomplice be charged with murder if his partner in crime killed their robbery victim?

Personally, I see nothing wrong with dropping the hammer on criminals that commit armed robbery.

Yes they should. The other person is a victim and the criminals chose to be there and commit a crime.
As far as being charged if the accomplice is killed i say no. That person chose to be there and commit a crime and the possible outcome.

**Mooseman33** · 06-29-2011, 12:42 PM

our justice system just flat out sucks...
where is the common sense

**auslifta** · 06-29-2011, 12:53 PM

The problem with common sense, is that it's not so common

**brad herschel** · 06-29-2011, 05:28 PM

"Tatioun Williams", name of some sort of mutant or space alien. Ross is dangerous, will get at least 20 years on armed robbery. (We don't know
of prior problems)

**oscarjones** · 06-29-2011, 07:57 PM

That is ****ed up.

**wmaousley** · 06-30-2011, 07:55 AM

its better this way gixxer, if that kid is charged only with armed robbery he will be paroled oneday just to commit another crime and end back in the pen. SO why not lock him up for life and move on.

**Mooseman33** · 06-30-2011, 08:18 AM

or he could go to jail for armed robbery, due his time and be a productive member of society...
people can and do change their lives....
charge him for the crime he commited, this is bulshitt....

**Times Roman** · 06-30-2011, 10:01 AM

i get the part about using a gun in the commission of a crime. this should escalate the sentence if convicted.

but since he didn't pull the trigger, wasn't pointing a gun at the cop that did kill the guy, then something doesn't make sense.

GB.... do you have a link? Almost seems like we are not getting the whole story?

**Twist** · 06-30-2011, 11:37 AM

He is young so if he is paroled their is a chance of no record and having a good life and plenty of opportunity.

I used to be a sponsored skateboarder. As a skateboarder, we would regularly have to trespass on peoples' and business' property to skate the spots when nobody was there. Sometimes this was gaps in between rooftops. If one of my fellow skaters fell off the roof and died, should I be charged with murder?

Trying children as adults is not right at all. I don't care what anyone says, it's not right. There are stories of children doing stupid things (like wrestling with a friend) and the someone gets seriously injured and the child goes to jail for life, in big boy prison. It's bullshit. Our laws are not used as they should be. The law itself makes sense. It's one of those laws that should almost never be used though.

**gixxerboy1** · 06-30-2011, 01:08 PM

Originally Posted by Times Roman

i get the part about using a gun in the commission of a crime. this should escalate the sentence if convicted.

but since he didn't pull the trigger, wasn't pointing a gun at the cop that did kill the guy, then something doesn't make sense.

GB.... do you have a link? Almost seems like we are not getting the whole story?

Dont have a link. The was the whole story on MSN.Com

**solid-d** · 06-30-2011, 04:45 PM

Okay, say these 2 had a get-a-way car and were driving away. If they crash and the passanger dies, then yes hit the driver with the homicide. But if the driver died and the passenger lived, the passenger shouldnt be hit with homicide..

Besides, this story the kid is being charged with murder. Shouldnt it be a homicide at worst?

**spywizard** · 06-30-2011, 05:11 PM

under that states' law.. the person (like the driver of a get away car) that is with the person using a gun to commit the felony is charged with the same crime..

lesson learned, don't hang out with people that have guns doing crime..

**spywizard** · 06-30-2011, 05:12 PM

there are plenty of stupid laws in different states..

**little devil** · 06-30-2011, 05:13 PM

do we really have to wait for him to kill some one before we lock him up?

**Times Roman** · 06-30-2011, 11:47 PM

Originally Posted by Twist

He is young so if he is paroled their is a chance of no record and having a good life and plenty of opportunity.

I used to be a sponsored skateboarder. As a skateboarder, we would regularly have to trespass on peoples' and business' property to skate the spots when nobody was there. Sometimes this was gaps in between rooftops. If one of my fellow skaters fell off the roof and died, should I be charged with murder?

Trying children as adults is not right at all. I don't care what anyone says, it's not right. There are stories of children doing stupid things (like wrestling with a friend) and the someone gets seriously injured and the child goes to jail for life, in big boy prison. It's bullshit. Our laws are not used as they should be. The law itself makes sense. It's one of those laws that should almost never be used though.

Disagree. Under certain circumstances, it is reasonable.

Case in point. A youth with a long and violent history at the age of 14, uses a knife and stabs another youth, almost fatally. A year later (15), he is arrested for breaking and entering, and while there, rapes an elderly woman and beats her husband. Another year later, he rapes and kills a 13 year old girl. Under family court, he would go to juvinelle hall til he was 18, and then depending on the state the crime was committed, could be eligable for release?

I don't think so amigo. This "kid" in this scenerio, needs to go to the big house for a long time, since he poses nothing BUT a threat to society. Period!

**MastaMan** · 06-30-2011, 11:59 PM

Originally Posted by spywizard

under that states' law.. the person (like the driver of a get away car) that is with the person using a gun to commit the felony is charged with the same crime..

lesson learned, don't hang out with people that have guns doing crime..

That doesn't make sense, one minute you could be hanging out with a friend you thought was stable, next minute he could be pulling a gun on someone and you could be spending the rest of your life behind bars in a heartbeat... life is too unpredictable to have such stupid cut and dry laws. But @Times Roman, good point. In the case of pathological criminals, it would be foolish to not treat them as adults and give them a clean slate at 18, because it would only be a matter of time before they hurt someone else. But in Brandon Ross' case, it's completely bullshit. He had no murderous intent.

**auslifta** · 07-01-2011, 12:33 AM

Every case is different, that is the point of court. Our society appoints a person who "judges" what is just. It's the courts ruling I sometimes question, not the law. The judge in my opinion, should use common sense in sentencing.

**Twist** · 07-01-2011, 02:07 AM

Originally Posted by Times Roman

Disagree. Under certain circumstances, it is reasonable.

Case in point. A youth with a long and violent history at the age of 14, uses a knife and stabs another youth, almost fatally. A year later (15), he is arrested for breaking and entering, and while there, rapes an elderly woman and beats her husband. Another year later, he rapes and kills a 13 year old girl. Under family court, he would go to juvinelle hall til he was 18, and then depending on the state the crime was committed, could be eligable for release?

I don't think so amigo. This "kid" in this scenerio, needs to go to the big house for a long time, since he poses nothing BUT a threat to society. Period!

No, that kid does not deserve to go to jail for the rest of his life. He deserves mental treatment. Maybe he needs to be in a crazy house forever but not jail. That is an extreme case and that still is borderline imo. I would rather that guy be given another chance later in life than other people who had a chance never be given one ever again.