"At the age of 16, Cameron Williams lives a life far removed from the world of other teenagers.
Williams, who celebrated his sixteenth birthday in jail, faces up to 110 years behind bars for second-degree attempted murder and use of a weapon to commit a felony. In November, Williams shot at a police officer in Omaha, Nebraska as he was being chased after being pulled over in a car with two other men. He's also charged with robbery and assault in another county.Even though he is a minor, Williams was charged in an adult court because of his troublesome history and the "serious nature of the crime," the county attorney's office said. "Anybody who pulls a gun and aims it at a police officer is a very serious threat and I would consider him a very dangerous individual," chief deputy Brenda Beadle told ABC News. Williams is one of many young adults facing the prospect of life in prison as the debate over whether juveniles should be tried as adults rages on." (Khan, 2010) |
"Try to remember your 15th birthday. You were probably a budding, impressionable high school student, concerned more with video games than the distant “adult” world. In all likelihood, you were still in the throes of puberty.Now imagine spending your 15th year in court, on trial for your participation in a holdup gone wrong, like Kevin O. Sanchez.The Lynn teen is being held without bail after a disastrously botched robbery.
Early in the morning of April 16, Sanchez and two older accomplices — Jahleel Sanders Williams, 17, and Amoy Blake, 18 — allegedly attempted to rob a 24-year-old man at gunpoint. Somewhere in the confusion, the victim drew a licensed gun and shot Blake, who later died. Now Sanchez — who claims to have stayed behind during the actual robbery — is being charged, along with Sanders Williams, for the murder of Blake. Massachusetts General Law states that any person over the age of 14 who is charged with murder must be tried as an adult. Sanchez will be tried as an adult, despite being just 15 years old." () |