Boy Who Killed Neo-Nazi Dad Blames Show ‘Criminal Minds’
A 10-year-old boy who killed his Neo-Nazi dad says that he got the idea from an episode of Criminal Minds.
According to the International Business Times, the child saw an episode of the CBS drama that depicted a boy killing his abusive father. In the episode, the boy is not arrested in the slaying.
Riverside County Deputy District Attorney Ambrosio Rodriguez said:
“Obviously in a case like this when we’re talking about whether or not a 10-year-old boy can formulate the intent to commit first-degree murder, there’s issues of whether or not he can comprehend what he’s doing.”
The CBS drama may have put the idea in the Joseph Hall’s head but according to Reuters the 10-year-old had a history of violence. Clinical psychologist Anna Salter testified that Hall had been conditioned to violence due to physical and emotional abuse.
Salter said:
“He did know he was wrong (to shoot his father), he said it in many ways, including that night.”
Defense attorney Matthew Hardy said that the charges against Hall should be dismissed because prosecutors had not proven that the boy was culpable. If a jury finds that Hall understood that murdering his father was wrong then he will likely be sent to a juvenile facility until 23.
