Murder on a Sunday Morning

Murder on a Sunday Morning

Why is the juvenile being charged as an adult? (provide specifics using your text) What process did he probably go through to get waived into adult court?

Brenton Butler, the juvenile in the case, was tried as an adult for the murder of a Mary Anne Stephens in May of 2000. The state of Florida, as well as many other states, will try juveniles when the crimes are especially heinous (a serious or violent offense) and the person being charged is of sufficient age to posses the mental powers to understand the full implications of their actions. In this case, since the crime was murder and the fifteen-year-old being charged was of sound mind and body, the state of Florida approved the prosecution's request to try Brenton as an adult. Generally, according to the American Bar Associations website, minors from the ages of ten to eighteen are generally tried as juveniles unless the criteria stated are met.

Although it is not specifically stated in this movie, it is most likely the case that since the prosecution produced a confession, this may have influence the judge to grant the prosecution's request to try the minor as an adult. With this evidence and the seriousness of the offense, it would be common place in most states for the juvenile to be tried as an adult. Furthermore, Brenton Butler was treated by the court as other juveniles would be in similar circumstances across the country. What wasn't known at the time was that Brenton was coerced into confessing to the murder. The fact that Brenton's face and chest were badly bruised provided some insights into how the false confession was gained; especially since they were not there when Brenton entered police custody.

2) What constitutional rights were extended to the juvenile defendant? Are these protections useful to him or why are they so important in this case?

The juvenile defendant, Brenton Butler, was extending the right to a trial by jury of his peers. He was also provided a public defense which was composed of two extraordinary defense attorneys. If it would not have been for these attorneys dedication to this case the outcome may not have been as favorable to Brenton. These protections, none the less, acted to keep Brenton a free young man. However, these protections served as the very last line of defense for the defendant. The defenses that should have served Brenton in the initial phases of the investigation were not sufficient; as it later became apparent that the confession was gaining by coercive forces.

There is a plethora of questions result if one deduces the seriousness of the situation. For instance, should the system be reevaluated in terms of the rights of minors; especially when it comes to interrogation practices? Or did the police in Jacksonville, Florida just represent a few bad apples in an otherwise functioning system? The answers to these questions are fair from obvious and subject to intense arguments from both sides of the debate.

Another consideration that is relevant would be the frequency of occurrences in which innocent people are imprisoned. Websites such as www.injusticebusters.com have devoted an incredible amount of time and energy documenting occurrences in which individuals were wrongly convicted of crimes. It is apparent after inspection of cases represented on websites such as these, that even though Brenton Butler was able to receive a fair judgment in the courtroom, not every tried suspect receives such a favorable outcome.

3) Do you think a juvenile's rights should be extended by the Supreme Court after watching this video (which one's?) Clearly the stakes are high in this case. In most juvenile cases, the stakes are not this high.

I do personally believe that juvenile's rights should be extended by the Supreme Court. Juveniles are particularly vulnerable to questionable interrogation techniques, as illustrated in this documentary. Therefore, I believe that there should be protective measures developed to make sure that one overbearing law officer cannot effectively pressure a juvenile suspect into making a false confession.