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Colo. boy, 13, killed dad, lived with body for week

Jazzy

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Investigators say a 13-year-old boy fatally shot his father and tried to conceal the slaying from authorities, living alone in the family's Colorado home with the body for nearly a week, reports CBS Denver.

The boy is charged with first-degree murder but he is being held in the juvenile facility in Jefferson County.

CBS Denver reports the teen is alleged to have used a rifle to kill his father sometime around April 29 or 30 in the home they shared in Gypsum, a small town in western Eagle County.

The teen allegedly fired at least two shots, reports the station.

"There was one to the back of the head and one to the temple," Eagle County coroner Kara Bettis said, according to the station. "The one to the temple was contact and the one in the back of his head was from farther away."

The station reports the teen allegedly called into his father's work every day after his death, reporting him sick. After a few days, his father's supervisor at the county-run transit department where he worked became suspicious and called police.

"He had been dead for around six days," Bettis reportedly said.

It wasn't until a deputy showed up at the house that the boy admitted his father was dead inside.

"The juvenile answered the door and told deputies that his 50-year-old father was deceased in the residence," Eagle County Sheriff Joseph Hoy said, according to CBS Denver.

The sheriff's office told CBS Denver the teen's mother was not living in the home with her son and ex-husband at the time of the crime.

Police say the motive remains unknown.

Source

What do you think should happen to this 13-year-old boy?
 
This story also illustrates the importance of proper gun safety by locking up guns and keeping them out of the hands of kids so this isn't able to happen. I am not sure what drove him to do this as we don't really have that yet though it still doesn't excuse the actions he took and he should be definitely be looked at for possible mental health issues that might have drove him to murder his own father.
 
Smooth said:
I disagree, while it is certainly possible he is a sociopath, it is by no means the only explanation. I'd say it rather depends on why he killed his father.

Let's just assume he thought he had a good reason. Whether or not it was a good reason would be up for debate, but the kid is 13 and presumably at least a little unhinged.
Now then, he's killed his father. Now what? PANIC. He realises he's made a mistake and that he'll have to face the consequences. As in, he's afraid to go to jail - which I think is a fairly natural reaction.
Then comes denial and self deception: the small sliver of hope that he can maybe get away with it somehow by pretending nothing is wrong. Close your eyes and it'll go away.
After a day or two of this I imagine he'd feel like there's no going back now so, yes, he "would have continued to live this way for as long as his story would hold out". Just not necessarily because he's a danger to society and a sociopath. Maybe just because he's an immature individual filled with fear, who has made a rather grave mistake.
 
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