Juvenile Offenders in St Louis

Missouri has seen a rise in African-America juveniles tried as adults. Statistics from 2009 state 64% of the juveniles tried as adults were of African-American descent. This is almost double of the amount in 2001 which was 36%. (Cooper) This brings to light an increase in racial disparity and the nature of prosecution in Missouri. Many of the cases of the African-American juvenile offenders certified as adults are prosecuted in St. Louis. "From 2001 to 2009, St. Louis certified 39% of the black juveniles prosecuted as adults statewide. St. Louis County accounted for 29%." (Cooper)

One such case is Ledale Nathan Jr. At the age of 16, Nathan and an accomplice broke into a house in St. Louis' LaSalle Park neighborhood back in October of 2009. Nathan killed a 34-year-old woman by the name of Gina Stallis and wounded a firefighter and off-duty city police officer. His conviction resulted in life without parole. However, a 2012 ruling made it so Nathan could receive a review of his conviction. "When he was convicted of first-degree murder in 2011, life without parole was his only option. But in June 2012, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Miller v. Alabama that an automatic life sentence for a juvenile was unconstitutional." (Mann)

Nathan underwent a resentencing after Miller v. Alabama along with another juvenile offender certified as an adult, Javon Adair. While Adair received a reduced sentence, Nathan's case involved careful consideration of whether his sentence was fair and suitable for the nature of his crime. The jury considered Nathan's state of mind when he committed the crime and his background. Three hours into deliberation, they could not reach a unanimous decision. This meant the initial first-degree murder conviction had to be vacated and replaced with a second-degree murder conviction.

Although his initial conviction was replaced with a lesser one, he still faced 75 years in prison for charges unaffected by the Miller v. Alabama ruling. Meaning the new conviction proved fruitless in reducing his overall time spent in prison. The closing arguments from the side of the prosecution stated Nathan acted like a man and should be punished like one. "In closing arguments, Assistant Circuit Attorney Beth Orwick told jurors Nathan was the aggressor. She said he repeatedly threatened to kill the family and pressed a gun against a 78-year-old's forehead." (Mann)

However, Robert Steele, representing Nathan, discussed his background including physical and sexual abuse and having a mother addicted to crack cocaine. He endured times where he was homeless and had to fend for himself and while Steele did not represent such information as an excuse, it sheds light on why some juvenile offenders may commit crimes. The rest of the closing arguments involved the firefighter citing substance abuse problems after the incident and the off-duty police officer losing her job.

The case seemed emotional and heated because it involved several layers of suffering from both sides. Ultimately, Nathan will remain in prison for the rest of his life. This just one of several cases in St. Louis, Missouri where juveniles commit the crime of murder and are then certified as adults. They face at times long sentences and because of the 2012 Supreme Court Decision, try to seek resentencing.

The case along with others, represents a growing pattern of juvenile offenders in Missouri, especially in St. Louis. The juvenile offenders caught are often male, black and from troubled homes. Research into this area may shed light into what kinds of factors lead to such violence and may being resolution in the form of programs to help juvenile keep from committing crimes.

Works Cited

Cooper, Kenneth J. "Black Missouri Teens Increasingly Tried Disproportionately As Adults." Center for Public Integrity, The Center for Public Integrity, 10 May 2011, www.publicintegrity.org/2011/05/10/4545/black-missouri-teens-increasingly-tried-disproportionately-adults-0. Accessed 20 Feb. 2017.

Mann, Jennifer S. "Jury Vacates Life Sentence for Teen Killer in St. Louis Home Invasion | Law and Order." Stltoday.com, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 4 June 2014, www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/jury-vacates-life-sentence-for-teen-killer-in-st-louis/article_7da6e51d-4c64-553c-84f5-c6c1066590eb.html. Accessed 20 Feb. 2017.