The Massachusetts House of Representatives unanimously passed a bill Wednesday that would, if the Senate concurs and the governor signs it, end the practice of automatically adjudicating the cases of 17-year-olds in the adult court system.

Teenagers charged with murder in Massachusetts would still be tried in adult court, and judges would still have discretion to level adult sentences on 17-year-olds charged with serious crimes.

There is little in this world more vile than pinning a murder on one of society's most vulnerable citizens. However, pinning four murders on a child who is poor, black, developmentally delayed and blind in one eye is the height of inhumanity. It is especially ruthless when an adult murderer, a well-known professional hitman, has confessed to these murders and is willing to admit formally in court. Davontae has been incarcerated for six years and has had a difficult time adjusting to prison life. It is time for Kym Worthy to do the right thing and free this innocent young man.

The appellate lawyers for the young man convicted of killing the wife of prominent Bay Area attorney Daniel Horowitz reclaimed their client's innocence Tuesday.

San Francisco attorneys Kate Hallinan and Sara Zalkin said they have filed a habeas corpus petition they hope will prove Scott Dyleski did not kill Pamela Vitale back in 2005.  Instead the lawyers claim there is evidence that the widower in the case should be considered a suspect, pointing to Horowitz directly.           

the real Scott Dyleski loves animals, is respectful and inclusive with others, is nonviolent, is well read in various subjects, is artistic and intellectual, and has a well developed set of spiritual beliefs that are earth-centered

Who is Scott Dyleski?

Scott may be different from you and has his faults like all of us, but he is not a murderer.

Scott Dyleski's claim has always been one of innocence.

Lawyers for a 12-year-old California boy charged with killing his 8-year-old sister are  questioning whether he is mature enough to aid his defense.

The boy attended a closed juvenile court proceeding Wednesday and was told he had been charged with second-degree murder with a special allegation for use of a dangerous weapon in the stabbing death of Leila Fowler, in the family's Valley Srpgins home.

SEATTLE, May 15 (Reuters) - A 10-year-old Washington state boy was sentenced on Wednesday to up to 5 1/2 years in a juvenile detention facility for his role in a foiled plot to rape and kill a girl at his school and harm other children.

The boy was charged with conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, juvenile firearm possession and witness tampering in connection with a plot in February at an elementary school in Colville, Washington, about 215 miles (345 km) east of Seattle.

Prosecutors said he pleaded guilty last month to all charges.

Stevens County Superior Court Judge Allen Nielson sentenced the fifth-grade boy to a minimum of just over three years in juvenile detention and a maximum of nearly 5 1/2 years, Stevens County prosecutor Tim Rasmussen said.

I will admit that Monday’s verdict about Noah Crooks was a disappointment to me. I thought he should have been found innocent of all crimes by reason of insanity. But the jury was unable to come to this finding. The publicity about the crime was as negative as you could get.
 
I received a call from Bill Kutmus, who explained things to me in terms which made me appreciate the benefits of the jury’s verdict.
 
First of all, Noah can be held only until his 18th birthday. In the meantime, he will be held within the juvenile system and, better yet, he will get the help he needs. This part of the state, the DOC, accepts his diagnosis of Intermittent Explosive Disorder (IED) and he will be treated accordingly.
 
Second, what I had not known is that if Noah had been found guilty of the sexual charge (which he was not), the state had intended to have him committed civilly at age 18 (and for a long term) as a registered sex offender. Under the jury’s verdict, this won’t happen.
 
So all in all, this is maybe the best we could have hoped for.