Monday, January 14, 2013
A California judge has found a boy was responsible for the second-degree murder of his white supremacist father when the defendant was just 10.
Riverside Superior Court Judge Jean Leonard made the ruling Monday in the case of the boy, who is now 12.
Prosecutors argued the boy knew what he was doing when he shot 32-year-old Jeff Hall -- a regional leader of the National Socialist Movement -- and the slaying was premeditated.
Defense attorney Matthew Hardy said his client grew up in an abusive and violent environment and learned it was acceptable to kill people who were a threat. Hardy contended the boy thought if he shot his dad, the violence would end.
The boy, who is not being identified by The Associated Press because of his age, did not testify at trial.
