Taking A Stand: Leniency OK, but punishment needed
It’s a frightening prospect when a teen-age kid, who’s never been in any trouble before, suddenly attacks his father with a hammer, nearly killing him.
It makes a person really wonder what can cause something like this to just come out of the blue, without any real warning. I mean, if a child has a history of behavioral problems and a pattern of past aggressive actions, it can be better understood even though it can’t be condoned.
If you’ve been following the news even remotely, you’ve heard about the incident involving Dr. Greg Wiley in which his 15-year-old son attacked him with a hammer, fracturing his skull. I sat through a day-long hearing Monday, listening to the details of the unusual case. In the end, Judge Larry Ross decided the Wiley boys, ages 15 and 18, should not be tried as adults but should instead have their attempted first-degree murder cases disposed of in the juvenile justice system.
I guess what struck me as odd was simply the appearance of the teens. First of all, they both appear to be clean-cut teens, who you wouldn’t suspect of carrying out such a devious and unspeakable act. The evidence suggests both were good students and were, for the most part, obedient and respectful to their parents.
They were both raised in a doctor’s home, meaning it’s likely they did not want for much. Even the doctor said they generally did what they were told without much of a fuss. In hindsight, they appeared to be much more obedient than I was at their age.
I guess that’s the most perplexing thing about the whole situation. During his testimony, Dr. Wiley said although his 15-year-old has somewhat of a temper, he never really caused any problems around the home. The idea that he would commit such an act, which the teen admits by the way, was stunning to the victim. I mean come on. It’s one thing to bow up to your father and maybe give a little back talk. It’s another to take a hammer to his head and then flee the scene without calling for help.
Now the boys are saying the 15-year-old came to the aid of his older brother who was pushed by his father. This may or may not be true. Nonetheless, the fact the young boy would take a hammer to his father’s head is extreme in such a case. I mean, a shove doesn’t constitute a near fatal beating with a hammer.
While the case is a disturbing one, the court likely made the right decision in allowing them to face justice as juveniles instead of looking at lengthy incarcerations as adults. They aren’t what you would call a threat to society and, just watching the case, I’d tend to think they can be worked with and be made into good members of society. To just lock them up would have been a waste.
There are times when justice must be tempered with understanding, and not simply taken from written pages. This was one of those times, especially seeing the very person who was nearly killed was wanting the court to grant mercy to a degree. He also suggested, and I’d certainly agree, some type of mental counseling is in order.
It’s the sudden turn of this kid which is the most disturbing part of the case. It’s like a dog you’ve raised from a pup that’s always been gentle that one day turns on its master and attacks with ferocity. It cannot be easily understood, but at the same time, the dog shouldn’t always be put to sleep for his actions.
I have to hand it to the father/victim in this case. I’d like to think I too would be so forgiving of a son who almost killed me, but I just don’t know. However, let’s be careful not to send out a message it’s OK to take a free whack at your father with a hammer. There must be punishment in this case, otherwise we could be opening a Pandora’s box.
(Duane Sherrill is a reporter for the Standard. He can be reached at 473-2191 or by e-mail at [email protected].)