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A terrible incident in which a Chester County couple were shot to death by their 12-year-old grandson, who then set their house ablaze before fleeing, would be compounded if the boy were convicted for acts that were a result of improper medication. The trial of Christopher Pittman, now 13, may begin soon. Despite his tender years, he is to be tried in General Sessions Court as an adult, rather than prosecuted as a juvenile. By state law, a citizen charged with certain serious offenses may be considered an adult at 16, but exceptions sometimes are made when a younger defendant has been charged with an especially heinous crime.
Although Pittman is not at risk of being sentenced to death, he could receive a life sentence, which could result in his spending at least the next 30 years of his life in prison. He would be transferred to the general prison population when he turned 17.
We grant some young people have become such hardened offenders that trying them as adults is warranted. By law, a juvenile's imprisonment may not exceed his 21st birthday, which is why prosecutors often seek to try young offenders charged with serious offenses in adult court.
We wonder, however, whether justice is served when a boy as young as Pittman is tried as an adult. Our concern was heightened last week when the Food & Drug Administration issued an advisory urging doctors to exercise caution when prescribing two antidepressants that Pittman's father blames for his son's actions two years ago. Others, including the boy's minister, back the father's claim that Christopher showed a dramatic change in behavior after he began taking antidepressants.
The FDA's team leader for psychopharmacological drugs said the agency hasn't recommended banning Zoloft or Paxil, reportedly prescribed for Pittman by doctors treating him for depression. They are among eight antidepressants, classified as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, for which FDA issued its caution. At least one national group, the nonprofit International Coalition for Drug Awareness, says the FDA sugar-coated its warning and points to cases in which patients taking these drugs have been accused of uncharacteristic violence. For example, they say, the British government banned Paxil for use in children because of increased suicide and violence.
Certainly, justice should prevail in the deaths of Christopher Pittman's grandparents, but we hope this family tragedy is not worsened by punishing a boy for acts beyond his control.
A caution by the Food & Drug Administration about antidepressants may shed light on Chester murder case.
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