Murder is one of the great crimes and scourges of humanity and has existed since man set foot on the Earth. But since the story was documented, one name has been that of the youngest person to commit murder: Carl Newton Mahan.
The events occurred in Plaintsville, Kentucky, United States, in May 1929. Even though the stock market crash has not yet occurred, the Great Depression is already hitting the country and even more rural areas.
The sale of scrap metal could bring in some money for families and a piece of metal becomes a source of dispute between Carl Newton Mahan and Cecil Van Hoose. The first is six years old and the second eight.
Carl was armed with a hunting rifle: “I’m going to shoot you!”he told Van Hoose, and in fact he did so, causing the miner’s death. A week later, he was subjected to an unusual trial.
During the hearing, it was heard that the older Cecil had hit Carl to get the piece of metal. He went home, got on a chair and picked up the 12 gauge shotgun that his father had hung above the door. He went out into the street, located Cecil and killed him.
The trial lasted several hours, during which the boy even fell asleep. After only half an hour of deliberations, the jury returned a murder charge and the judge sentenced the boy to 15 years of detention in a reformatory.
He was later released and handed over to his parents on bail of $500, the equivalent of 9,472.98 current dollars (around 8,000 euros).
The affair divides the United States: Some felt that the sanction was too light and others that it was too harsh. Carl’s parents even received letters of support and were shocked by the sentence.
Finally, a superior judge overturned the conviction and issued a restraining order which prevented Carl from being sent to a reformatory. The appeal claimed the county judge exceeded his authority by allowing the boy’s criminal trial before a jury.
Eventually, Kentucky’s attorney general was forced to intervene and, a month after Carl’s conviction, announced that he had completed his review of the case. He took no action, allowing the child to stay with his parents. Carl Newton Mahan He died in 1958, at the age of 35.
The case of this minor is still being studied in the United States today. There is no general consensus on whether a child of this age who commits a crime is either a murderer or a victim.
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