So much for just crying over spilled milk

[Lathum]

Nation & World | Death ends dispute over spilled milk | Seattle Times Newspaper

Death ends dispute over spilled milk

Labrina Brown, 13, didn't get along with the man who married her grandmother, even though they all lived in the same house.

By Ryan Haggerty

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

MILWAUKEE — Labrina Brown, 13, didn't get along with the man who married her grandmother, even though they all lived in the same house.

She had even pulled knives on Robert Moon, a relative told police.

On Saturday afternoon, authorities say, the bad blood boiled over.

Brown poured herself a bowl of cereal. Instead of giving her the last of a gallon of milk, Moon poured it down the sink.

Brown swore at Moon and followed him out of the kitchen. She knocked a glass of milk from his hand, and when he turned around, she sliced his throat with a paring knife, according to a criminal complaint.

Moon, 48, died at the scene. The wound had cut his carotid artery.

Police showed up at the house moments later. Brown was outside, covered in blood.

"I'm Labrina Brown and I killed him," she told an officer, according to the complaint.

Brown was charged as an adult Monday with first-degree reckless homicide, punishable by up to 60 years in prison.

According to the complaint:

Moon's stepdaughter told police Moon sarcastically told Brown she could have the rest of the milk after he poured a glass for a baby who was in the house.

Brown swore at Moon, who then poured what was left of the milk down the drain and walked out of the kitchen, carrying the glass of milk for the baby.

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The relative told police Brown swore at Moon again, picked up the knife, followed him out of the kitchen and attacked him.

A neighbor told police she saw Brown run out of the house, covered in blood, and yelling, "I told you! I told you!"

The neighbor told police Brown later said, "I'm not afraid to go to jail for this."

State law dictates that children older than 10 who are charged with first- or second-degree homicide must be charged in adult court, Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm said.

In Wisconsin, only a few youths younger than 14 have ever been tried as adults for murder; in 1996, a sweeping revision of the juvenile code mandated that youths accused of first-degree reckless homicide be automatically charged as adults.

[Axxon]

I don't know, doesn't sound like she shed tear one to me.

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by Axxon

I don't know, doesn't sound like she shed tear one to me.

good point, title edited

[Axxon]

dola,

What is interesting to me is the law. I'm down with first degree murder being an automatic bump from child to adult court due to the premeditation deal and all but second degree sounds to me exactly where the line needs to be drawn. Rash and unwise actions like hers are wrong but that's what in general being a child is about, doing such actions, being disciplined for them and not repeating them. I"m not sure I could so easily just throw this kids life away like that in this case. It was an extreme overreaction but one I could see a child making.

Plus, dude was a dick and likely had been for a long time.

I dunno, I couldn't see voting guilty in an adult court given the information we have ( and since all 2nd degree cases are auto adult this specific case isn't what I'm talking about but the theory. ).

[Axxon]

I noticed they charged her with first degree homicide? WTF, she had plans to make him pour out the milk and then to kil him or worse, she had planned to kill him and was waiting for an excuse to do it? Maybe, but somehow that doesn't really make sense even if she was 50.

[B & B]

Originally Posted by Axxon

I noticed they charged her with first degree homicide? WTF, she had plans...

Umm, yes.

She had even pulled knives on Robert Moon, a relative told police.

[Axxon]

Originally Posted by B & B

Umm, yes.

You know, I was in the middle of typing a long reply when I realized the obvious. If someone doesn't understand where your emotion is at, you can't ever explain that emotion to them so I won't try.

Now my feelings in this case being a bad thing or not may be open to interpretation. I agree with that, but the thought that something that the adult might initially wish to do ( Or fantasize about ) but decide not to, due to their more mature understanding of life, doesn't necessarily lead to making the the conclusion that a juvenile mind will reach the same conclusion and that the juveniles actions should be judged similarly.
I guess we'll have to disagree.

But, if they thought the girl was trying to kill the old man like you're suggesting then they are equally culpable since they knew rhe situation was that dire and chose not to act on it. That's not really a good thing to just let slide you know. I mean, either the kid took out a full page ad of teh crazy and they ignored it or it wasn't as premeditated as you're making it out to be. I can't really see a gray area as we've defined the situation.

[Mustang]

Originally Posted by Axxon

It was an extreme overreaction but one I could see a child making.

What kind of kids are you around? Isaac, Malachai and Job?

[Axxon]

Originally Posted by Mustang

What kind of kids are you around? Isaac, Malachai and Job?

So, most kids never strike out blindly against an authority figure who defies their will with whatever they have in their hand at the time? Maybe I live in hell because I've seen that lots of times and likely this girl has done this before according to the article and no one in her family, victim included seem to have been all worked up about it. Most kids in this situation don't kill, hers was an unlucky shot. It killed.

It doesn't make her a cold blooded murderer by any means and yeah, maybe I didn't grow up iin Cleaver land ( don't even ask what I've known parents to do to their ownh kids in my world cuz you might become suicidal ) but a whole lot of folks don't live in Cleaverland either and the law has to serve them too. IMHO of course.

[Axxon]

OK, revelation time. At least a little bit.

I was one of the abused ones.

Kids.

I was later told the regular beatings started at the age of 2 but all I can say is I don't remember a time without them.

I never hit the hospital but for example, my daily routine included testing the electric fence by having to grab it to make sure it worked. I was put on the roof of the shed and beaten if I climbed down. I was told I had to trust him to catch me ( stepfather ) and jump off the roof but when I did, every single time he moved out of the way and I landed on the ground.

There was a lot more I won't mention and he knew of course how I felt. I remember him going off about how a rat bite would be fatal and then a few days later coming into the house with red paint on his hands saying that he'd been bitten by a rat and staring into my eyes to see my reaction. Luckily I was too smart for that and remembered to laugh at his "Silly joke" to boot but I don't know what he'd have done had I celebrated. I suspect one of my many "accidents" but one I didn't recover from.

And, from the age of 10 until my mother left him when I was 13 I was actively planning his death. I had every intention at that age of killing this man before he killed me.

I'd thought about running away first and telling a teacher. Same teacher. SHe told me there was nothing she could do but if I ran away during her class she wouldn't mark me absent giving me an hour head start.

I was in 4th grade.That made me 9 years old at the time. I hated home but was smart enough to realize this plan was unworkable.

I was alone.

I felt alone.

I didn't realize my sister, who was 7 years older than me had it worse. We never talked about it unti both of us were in our 40's. Thank god for that or I would be in jail now.

I don't know what to say. I never killed him and I'd never kill anyone now but I can't say I wouldn't have killed him. I just can't. So, when I read about kids pushed to the edge or, in her case, even possibly just close to the edge of too much, I"m cutting slack and the old anger rises up. Adult apathy sucks really bad too. Trust me.

I grew up fine and I can't see the world being any better if I was in jail right now. Put her in juvie for a few years and try and get her some help. Maybe not the popular view and thank the stars it isn't because I don't wish my childhood on anyone except those who had it worse than me and unfortunately, that's a whole friggin lot of kids and I"m banking you know a bunch who just aren't up to admitting it.

That's my take.

[Axxon]

dola,

for sick completeness, riding mower was what I'd decided on. He was over twice my height and more than that my weight. I had no chance physically and I didn't have access to any firearms.

He'd let me ride the mower though. It was my one chance.

It's no pleasure growing up having to face this reality even when it's over and you're looking in the rear view mirror. On the one hand, I defend myself and my thoughts but on the other, I realize how sick they were. I don't know. Maybe it's better to let parents do what they want and sing ode to joy over the surviving kids. I don't really hear much middle ground whenever this subject comes up.

People hate the kids that kill parents and the parents that kill kids but people in the middle, forgotten. SHURG.

[TroyF]

Axxon,

A very moving post. I was also abused and I know all about adult apathy. (estranged from my mother for the last 5 years over things that happened when I was a child)

That said, we have some major gaps in this story to fill. There is no detail of abuse here. The spilled milk down the drain indicates this probably isn't a father of the year candidate, but there were no deeper details into what happened in that house from the article.

The details that we do see include the fact she'd pulled knives on him before, that she screamed "I told you, I told you" and that she said "I'm not afraid to go to jail for this."

So what happens here? First off, it's clearly a premeditated act. She thought about it before hand and told people she was going to do it. The police MUST charge her with first degree, premeditated murder.

Then it's her lawyers job to prove abuse, what type of abuse, how long it had occured, etc. It's her lawyers job to show the adults in this girls life let her down. (which even a public defender can do most of the time) If they can show that, they can get a drastic reduction in her sentence. They may even be able to cut a deal with the prosecutor before the trial if the evidence obviously points in that direction.

I hope if deep abuse did occur she gets a major break, gets counseling, gets an education and can make something of her life. That said, we need more to go on then a little spilled milk to prove that and at this point the police are doing exactly what they need to do.

[JAG]

Axxon, that is some sick, sick shit you went through. Call me naive, but it blows my mind that a person would ever do that to a child.

[DaddyTorgo]

gah - hell of a couple posts there by Axxon.

I can't even imagine that kind of childhood...wow.

[flere-imsaho]

Stuff like this makes me so thankful for the great childhood I had.

As for the OP, if abuse doesn't turn out to be a factor another possibility could be psychological problems and/or chemical imbalances, at least as mitigating factors. Still incredibly tragic, but far too few details at this point to jump to conclusions.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

My guess will be that they find some abuse and plea bargain this down to a lesser offense where she's released in her early 20s.

[gstelmack]

Originally Posted by TroyF

The spilled milk down the drain indicates this probably isn't a father of the year candidate, but there were no deeper details into what happened in that house from the article.

Putting abuse aside (if he physically abused her, he had this coming a long time ago, and I have no problem with her walking), as a parent if I tell my kid to wait a sec for some milk and they yell at me, at the very least it is going back in the fridge, but for some tiny amount the sink is not a bad option for it. You certainly don't let them have the milk. That is not abuse, that's called "punishment" for being a spoiled brat.

[molson]

Originally Posted by Axxon

I noticed they charged her with first degree homicide? WTF, she had plans to make him pour out the milk and then to kil him or worse, she had planned to kill him and was waiting for an excuse to do it? Maybe, but somehow that doesn't really make sense even if she was 50.

It varies from state to state, but "premeditation" requires a surprisingly small about of premeditation. Seconds can be enough. Here, the fact that she grabbed a knife followed him out of the kitchen would fit the bill in many states.

But in this case, I'd be shocked if they actually prosecuted her for 1st degree murder. But it always makes sense to charge as high as you can initially.

[Noop]

I wonder where her mother was?

[RomaGoth]

Wow, this is some crazy shit.

[RomaGoth]

Dola

Also want to point out that according to the article, this Moon guy is her step-grandfather, not stepfather. Wondering why she was living with her grandparents?

[JonInMiddleGA]

Girl's attorney indicates more than milk dispute was behind killing - JSOnline
... "This case is about more than milk," the attorney, Joy Sherard, told Court Commissioner Kevin M. Costello during Labrina Brown's initial appearance in Children's Court.

Although Brown is charged as an adult with first-degree reckless homicide, state law requires that her initial appearance and her preliminary hearing be held in Children's Court.

The sheriff's deputies who brought Brown in and out of Costello's courtroom towered over her. Brown, less than 5 feet tall, wore a burgundy sweatshirt and khaki pants. Her hair was gathered girlishly into a ball at the top of her head and held there with a rubber band. The brass-colored handcuff's that dangled from her wrists appeared enormous.

Brown sat between her attorneys - Sherard and Robin Dorman. Behind her were child welfare workers and family, including Brown's grandmother, Thelma Moon, the wife of 48-year-old Robert Moon. Police say Brown fatally stabbed Robert Moon Saturday at their home in the 3200 block of N. 24th Place.

"We are not mad at Labrina," said Denitra Aldridge, Robert Moon's 23-year-old stepdaughter.

"We don't fault her," Aldridge said, standing beside Thelma Moon outside the family's house.

"We are trying to grieve and mourn his existence, but we are also trying to be here for her."

Erika Monroe-Kane, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Children and Families, which runs the Bureau of Milwaukee Child Welfare, said confidentiality laws prevent her from disclosing what, if any, services were provided to Brown or her family.

But Sherard told Costello "a great deal of services have been provided in the past."

Sherard said Brown has no criminal record and argued for low bail.

"She has never been in trouble before," Sherard said.

Costello set bail at $150,000, but allowed Brown's family to visit her as long as those visits are supervised by a child welfare worker.

While Brown's family would not discuss what services Brown or her family were receiving, it is clear from the complaint that Brown and Robert Moon had a troubled relationship.

According to the complaint:

On Saturday, Brown poured herself a bowl of cereal. Moon told Brown she could not have any milk until a baby living in the house had some.

"Why you always (expletive) with me," the complaint quotes Brown as saying. "You might get away with my grandma here, but next time I'm gonna bust you in your (expletive). You're always trying me."

[RomaGoth]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Girl's attorney indicates more than milk dispute was behind killing - JSOnline
... "This case is about more than milk," the attorney, Joy Sherard, told Court Commissioner Kevin M. Costello during Labrina Brown's initial appearance in Children's Court.

Although Brown is charged as an adult with first-degree reckless homicide, state law requires that her initial appearance and her preliminary hearing be held in Children's Court.

The sheriff's deputies who brought Brown in and out of Costello's courtroom towered over her. Brown, less than 5 feet tall, wore a burgundy sweatshirt and khaki pants. Her hair was gathered girlishly into a ball at the top of her head and held there with a rubber band. The brass-colored handcuff's that dangled from her wrists appeared enormous.

Brown sat between her attorneys - Sherard and Robin Dorman. Behind her were child welfare workers and family, including Brown's grandmother, Thelma Moon, the wife of 48-year-old Robert Moon. Police say Brown fatally stabbed Robert Moon Saturday at their home in the 3200 block of N. 24th Place.

"We are not mad at Labrina," said Denitra Aldridge, Robert Moon's 23-year-old stepdaughter.

"We don't fault her," Aldridge said, standing beside Thelma Moon outside the family's house.

"We are trying to grieve and mourn his existence, but we are also trying to be here for her."

Erika Monroe-Kane, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Children and Families, which runs the Bureau of Milwaukee Child Welfare, said confidentiality laws prevent her from disclosing what, if any, services were provided to Brown or her family.

But Sherard told Costello "a great deal of services have been provided in the past."

Sherard said Brown has no criminal record and argued for low bail.

"She has never been in trouble before," Sherard said.

Costello set bail at $150,000, but allowed Brown's family to visit her as long as those visits are supervised by a child welfare worker.

While Brown's family would not discuss what services Brown or her family were receiving, it is clear from the complaint that Brown and Robert Moon had a troubled relationship.

According to the complaint:

On Saturday, Brown poured herself a bowl of cereal. Moon told Brown she could not have any milk until a baby living in the house had some.

"Why you always (expletive) with me," the complaint quotes Brown as saying. "You might get away with my grandma here, but next time I'm gonna bust you in your (expletive). You're always trying me."

This whole case is befuddling. It appears that the girl and the man were both fighting with each other on a regular basis. Could it be teenage rebellion? Who knows I guess but either way I don't believe she had a right to kill the guy, at least without knowing what else was going on. Now, if he did abuse her in some way, then maybe, but still.....death is pretty damn final.

[DanGarion]

Originally Posted by Noop

I wonder where her mother was?

Exactly, any other adults in the house that were guardians should hold some responsibility for what happened here...

[MrDNA]

Thanks for sharing, Axxon. As a teacher, I really wonder about the one you talked to. At least nowadays we all get told exactly what we CAN do in that situation. Again, thanks for making the situation more real and giving us some perspective for the story.

[Axxon]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

My guess will be that they find some abuse and plea bargain this down to a lesser offense where she's released in her early 20s.

I'd be good with this actually. That sounds fair but of course, as TroyF pointed out, we really don't know the facts yet.

[Axxon]

Originally Posted by MrDNA

Thanks for sharing, Axxon. As a teacher, I really wonder about the one you talked to. At least nowadays we all get told exactly what we CAN do in that situation. Again, thanks for making the situation more real and giving us some perspective for the story.

Honestly, as I've grown older I've thought about her and her inaction a lot and I really can't wrap my mind around it either but you know, I did eventually run away when I was 13. I ran a couple of blocks away and called the cops. Told them my story. They said that since I had no current bruises or wounds they couldn't do anything. They just took me home. I told my mom that night that I'd made it away that day with ease and I was going to do it again only next time I wasn't coming back. That was the turning point to me thankfully.

You can say I didn't really see many positive role models from authority figures in that phase of my life.

I know that times are a lot different now but that teacher, that was some cowardly shit right there and I really don't know how to process someone thinking and acting like that. It wasn't apathy. I know this or I would never have approached her in the first place. Who knows what she was thinking?