by Gregory Miller

Created on: January 03, 2008

"A 7-year-old Colorado girl by the name of Zoe Garcia has been brutally beaten and killed after her big sister Heather Trujillo and Her boyfriend Lamar Roberts mimicked a video game's violence.

Lamar Roberts, 17, and Heather Trujillo, 16 were babysitting Heather's little half-sister Zoe Garcia then they decided to beat the little girl with 'Mortal Kombat moves'.

Both Roberts and Trujillo are being charged as adults after brutally beating Zoe, leaving her broken body with more than 20 bruises, a broken wrist, swelling of the brain, bleeding under her spine and in her neck."
- Jack Ryan, Staff Writer, The Post Chronicle

Let me start off by saying that this is a tragedy of an egregious nature. What these two kids (yes, they are under the age of 21 so they are still kids) did to a helpless little girl is cruel and unforgivable. The young girl is dead and should be remembered fondly. No parent should have to bury their child, especially in this way.

That being said, charging Heather Trujillo and Lamar Roberts as adults is not going to solve anything and it's not going to bring Zoe back. I understand that they murdered a young girl in a reprehensible way, using pseudo-martial arts moves from a violent video game. I am not trying to be insensitive to anyone who cared for Zoe. All I am saying is that charging these two with murder and putting them in the federal prison system is only going to waste two more young lives in the process. I challenge anyone to look me dead in the eye and say, "By sending these two people to prison, we are making this world a better place."

By saying that, you are telling me that the world as a whole is better off with two stupid, immature teenagers spending the better part of their natural lives with degenerates who wouldn't be allowed 100 feet from them. This is the message you are sending by charging them with a capital offense. I can't speak for anyone else, but I see that as callous and a little disturbing.

They made a mistake, albeit a MASSIVE one. They took an innocent life in brutal fashion. No one can bring Zoe back. Instead of taking away two more lives, how about we put the teenagers to good use? Make them serve in some type of anti-violence campaign and have any money they make go to a charity serving to end child abuse. Allow them to repent in a positive, constructive manner.

Don't compound the problem by taking two more young lives. We are only hurting ourselves in the end.

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