7 y/o boy goes on zoo killing spree

And I have boys that are typical BOYS.

You couldn't pay either one of my children to kill ANYTHING.
Even at 7 years of age.


And my son, at 3 years old, told my brother his Iguana was dead in its cage.
He never held it. He only saw it in its cage and told him, "Uncle Wandy, I think your lizard is dead."

Okay, maybe I should have stated it better but I was at the end of my lunch break when I read this thread. I meant the kid should be taken into custody, (not thrown into some jail cell,) and put into therapy. Either his parents are clueless or they condone this kind of thing, and yes, I've met adults who think of animals as things without feelings and it's okay to do whatever you want to them because they're 'just animals'.

What disturbs me about the story is the description of no emotion on the kid's face while he was killing the animals - that seems like a big red flag to me. I wouldn't my niece or nephews anywhere near that kid, would you? JMO

I know children who are OVER disciplined that are WORSE than children with no discipline, seriously.

If you make consequences too harsh for every little thing then the kid isn't afraid of ANY consequence any more.

That is why I say not only does this kid need a serious evaluation, but the parents need to be evaluated and given parenting classes as well.

When I was that age I killed things, yes. But they were things we ATE. We never killed anything for fun. We were always taught to be kind to animals and respect them.

Oh, ok. It sounded just like you wanted him thrown in some jail sell.

If the parents do not teach a child right from wrong, then you can expect that they will have no respect for life. A child learns a whole lot from their parents. Plain and simple. I've met some adults with the mentality of what you describe. Its sad but its true.

Are you serious, Reggin??
Are you REALLY serious???

No, no, no. A lack of discipline doesn't make a child want to go out and KILL things.
wtf?
Oh, I'm sure the child could very well lack discipline in his life, but that is NO excuse to go around killing things.
This child killing these reptiles is was NOT determined by an environmental factor.
That's in that child's HEAD. That is a physiological brain structure thing.

Very true. Part of the reason why I think jail would make this child worse!

Oh no. Thats not my point. Lack of discipline could be apart of the reason for breaking in, but just the start of it. NOT ALL OF IT. A lot of factors go into this, not just discipline.

You took my post wrong. I was not saying a lack of discipline would make a child go out and kill things. Oh no. The fact that he would take the step to go break into something is what got me. The killing is a separate issue.

Oh!
Sorry.

No problem. I have a hard time explaining things sometimes. My fault.

Yea! ^

Excuse me? He BROKE into a zoo and KILLED animals. He beat lizards with a ROCK and he fed LIVE animals to a crocodile. A seven year old did that and you are trying to make excuses (make no mistake, that is what you are doing)? W.O.W.

I 200% agree. I am absolutely horrified that a 7 yo broke into a zoo and purposely killed animals. Who lets their 7 yo out of their sight even long enough to go to their local zoo, break in and kill animals? Pardon me, but WTF. Not only does that boy need counseling, the parents do as well.

I was sooooo waiting for you... so all I need to do is this: x2!

Great post, Nikki. When I was seven adn even younger I NEVER tried to kill animals, even insects, especially not by breaking into somewhere and going on a "spree."
When I was in preschool we had a pool at our school. I walked around and got all the grasshoppers and other bugs out of the water and onto dry ground so they might live. I can't imagine EVER wanting to hurt any animal. The only times I hurt anything is when it puts me and mine into danger- rattlesnakes, spiders such as black widows, etc., never for fun.

Instead of replying to every single post here that is aimed at me I want to say that I do NOT think that this is right. He knows what he did was wrong... breaking into a zoo and killing the animals and he NEEDS to be held accountable. A therapist NEEDS to asses this situation. The parents NEED parenting classes. But I dont think people should say thay he needs to be in JAIL. And that he is going to start killing humans. And that he is PSYCHOPATHIC.

There you have it

I was getting the impression that the child is to blame 100% But we forget how parenting alone can create a child that does awful things. Maybe I sounded like I was giving excuses, but I am not one to do so. I think a lot of people have misinterpreted my posts and the points I was trying to get across.

In any case, I still stand by my opinions.

^This.

The fact that people think this child needs to be in jail is what really got me. The fact that people think that jail will help this situation throws me WAY off. A psych ward is much different than jail. In there you actually have people who are helping you while in in jail you are there only to pay for what you did. And I dont think a 7 year old is going to understand that. It will damage this kid even more than you can imagine. And if the parents are not fit enough to watch this child properly then we really dont have a choice, but jail is so very wrong...

I don't think he needs to go to jail, but he needs to go to a lot of counseling and then some more.

The extreme cruelty against animals and the lack of emotions are signs of psychopathy. And yes, they can be present in children. I think I have seen studies that were concluded with 3 year olds.

With his lack of emotion it is obvious that he does not have remorse and does not care at all about what he did. So yes, a therapist needs to get in his head of his to see whats really going on in there and figuring out why he did this and whats needs to be done about the situation. Jail is not the answer. And the parents could be a huge problem in this situation.

I wish we could get an update on this story...

Snark elaborate don her jail comment with what she actually meant, Reggin.

It sounds like that child was in a fit of rage. A 7 year old with anger like that is sad.