Boy, 10, found responsible for killing neo-Nazi father
RIVERSIDE, Calif. (AP) - A California judge found Monday that a boy was responsible for the second-degree murder of his white supremacist father when the defendant was just 10.
Prosecutors argued the boy, now 12, knew what he was doing when he shot 32-year-old Jeff Hall - a regional leader of the National Socialist Movement - and the slaying was premeditated.
Defense attorney Matthew Hardy said his client grew up in an abusive and violent environment and learned it was acceptable to kill people who were a threat. Hardy contended the boy thought if he shot his dad, the violence would end.
The boy, who is not being identified by The Associated Press because of his age, did not testify at trial.
Riverside Superior Court Judge Jean Leonard heard the case without a jury. At issue was whether the boy knew what he was doing was wrong and whether there was premeditation.
Prosecutors argued that the child killed his father to keep him from splitting up with his stepmother, who at first said she had killed Hall but then quickly retracted her statement. She was not charged in the case.
The boy's younger sister bolstered the prosecution's case by saying her elder sibling plotted the shooting days in advance.
Hall was shot at point-blank range with a .357 Magnum while he slept on a sofa in the family home.
The boy said in a videotaped interview with police that he didn't think he'd get in trouble because he saw an episode of "Criminal Minds" in which a child killed an abusive father and wasn't arrested.
Prosecutors maintained Hall's white supremacist beliefs had nothing to do with the crime. They noted the boy had a history of violence that dated back to kindergarten when he stabbed a teacher with a pencil.
Hardy said he hopes the boy, if convicted, would not be sent to a juvenile lockup but rather be placed in a private facility that offers therapy, medical treatment and schooling.
Prosecutors argued the boy, now 12, knew what he was doing when he shot 32-year-old Jeff Hall - a regional leader of the National Socialist Movement - and the slaying was premeditated.
Defense attorney Matthew Hardy said his client grew up in an abusive and violent environment and learned it was acceptable to kill people who were a threat. Hardy contended the boy thought if he shot his dad, the violence would end.
The boy, who is not being identified by The Associated Press because of his age, did not testify at trial.
Riverside Superior Court Judge Jean Leonard heard the case without a jury. At issue was whether the boy knew what he was doing was wrong and whether there was premeditation.
Prosecutors argued that the child killed his father to keep him from splitting up with his stepmother, who at first said she had killed Hall but then quickly retracted her statement. She was not charged in the case.
The boy's younger sister bolstered the prosecution's case by saying her elder sibling plotted the shooting days in advance.
Hall was shot at point-blank range with a .357 Magnum while he slept on a sofa in the family home.
The boy said in a videotaped interview with police that he didn't think he'd get in trouble because he saw an episode of "Criminal Minds" in which a child killed an abusive father and wasn't arrested.
Prosecutors maintained Hall's white supremacist beliefs had nothing to do with the crime. They noted the boy had a history of violence that dated back to kindergarten when he stabbed a teacher with a pencil.
Hardy said he hopes the boy, if convicted, would not be sent to a juvenile lockup but rather be placed in a private facility that offers therapy, medical treatment and schooling.
Hate breeds hate and if society doesn't help this young boy he will be a recreation of his POS father..
The real problem in this case is Jeff Hall in 10 years created a child that is a mentel and emotional mess. Â We as a society get to deal with the fallout for the next 60 years or so,
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 Maybe what the President should have put Joe Biden to work on is a plan to promote better parenting.  Many of our social woes can be traced back to how our children are raised.  I hope the state of California is going to try to get this child the mental help he needs to re-allign his life, but unfortunatly based on past examples the way we deal with mental issues in todays society is to let them go along in life until they run afowl of the law.  Then we lock them up.
 @Siwash "put Joe Biden to work on is a plan to promote better parenting." That would seem to be a better use of his time than the current BS... however... do you really want the US Government deciding what constitutes good parenting? I mean, they do such a wonderful job with everything else they touch....
We reap what we sow.
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The father's own seeds of violence sprouted, bloomed and destroyed him.
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 @Mikey Karma comes around.
Guess dad got done in by his own creation....Nazi begets Nazi; child slays father. Â Wow.
Jeff Hall is a perfect example of a GOOD a Nazi.
Taking out the trash is easy, but when it is your own dad, You got some kahoonas son, good job.
Gee, where do you suppose he GOT that "history of violence"? Still his dad's fault.
Self defense, nuff said
Good job son. One less POS.
All this boy knew for the first 10 years of his life was abuse, hate and anger; it's not surprising that he saw this as an acceptable way to end the violence. I hope the boy can receive treatment and live somewhat of a normal life. The article doesn't elaborate on his mother or siblings, but one would assume they were also abused. This outcome is the reality of teaching hate to children. There's so much more to life that is worthwhile, I hope this boy can discover that.
After reading the article, it seems to confirm that television shows do influence children's choices!
"Hardy said he hopes the boy, if convicted, would not be sent to a juvenile lockup but rather be placed in a private facility that offers therapy, medical treatment and schooling."
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I hope so, too. The boy did society a favor, but there are still consequences from the father's actions to the boy. I do hope the boy gets the proper help he needs, as well as his sister.Â