Murder: who's responsible?

[boingo82]

We had an article in our paper about a killing that took place a while ago.
I'd be interested to see what you think. A brief summary:

Beau Santino Maestas, 19, and sister Monique Maestas, 17, broke into a recreational vehicle trailer outside a Mesquite casino early Jan. 22 and attacked 3-year-old Kristyanna Cowan and 10-year-old Brittney Bergeron, after their mother and her live-in boyfriend sold the teens artificial drugs. They bought "methamphetamine" that proved to be table salt. In retaliation, they broke into the trailer and repeatedly stabbed the two young girls, who had been left unattended in their beds whilst their mother and her boyfriend gamed in a nearby casino. 3-year-old Kristyanna died soon after. 10-year-old Brittney was left paralyzed. Their mother has denied any drug connection.
The teens have pleaded innocent. Their defense attorneys say they were under the influence of methamphetamine at the time of the attack, and are challenging a decision to try Monique Maestas as an adult. She was 16 at the time of the attack.

[Oz]

Fault and blame have little to no meaning in a tale such as this. The fact remains that drugs are to blame in some way for the brutal and merciless slaying of two innocent, and I'm sure very sweet, little girls. The fact remains that senseless and tragic occurances such as this are part of our modern lives. While we hear things like this every day, anyone who doesn't find their heart wrenched in two by this should be not only ashamed, but whatever has desensitized them to this degree should also hang their head in shame. Modern 'media' can collectively go and jump on cliffs for the amount of money they will have made from this story, and thousands of others like it.

Oz.

[Porsche]

The teens should be convicted. The mother should receive different charges altogether if found guilty of dealing drugs, fake or not.

The whole case sounds like a circle of blame, but I believe that since the teens did it, they should be responsible, and the mother essentially losing both her children is due to her lack of responsiblity and an unfortunate example of bad parenting.

I honestly can't give a damn about anybody other than the children in this story.

[boingo82]

I kind of feel like the mother should also be charged with murder or at least child abuse....because any way you look at it, a 10 and 3 year old are too young to be left home alone, and anyone who sells fake drugs to meth addicts is ASKING for trouble.

Here's someone else for you to care about: the girls' father. He lost custody to the mother, and now he lost his daughters..

[freakray]

Additional question, if the mother sold 'fake' drugs to the addicts, who's to say they were indeed under the influence of the drugs when they commited this horrific act.
Addicts wanting a kick but not on one often get pretty violent, which would explain the situation.

I agree with Biongo about the young girl's mother, what was she doing leaving them alone in the first place?
What kind of upbringing were the teenagers getting that they are so heavily addicted at such an age, and how many other crimes had they commited in supporting their addiction.

Try them as adults and make sure the jury is made up of parents of young children!!

[YogsVR4]

The parents shouldn't have left the kids alone. But, one bad act does not justify another. Those teens should be held fully accountable for their actions. Whether they were under the influence of narcotics or not, they should at minimum be locked away for the rest of their lives.

I don't believe being under the influence of anything should be reason for mitigating circumstances when the person willfully ingested the substance.

I pray that the ten year old is able to fully recover.

[taranaki]

Having served on a jury in a similar case,using the legal definition of the difference between murder and manslaughter as applied under New Zealand law,I'd argue that they are guilty of murder.For someone to unintentionally kill another person in the act of assaulting them would be classed as manslaughter UNLESS they were either aware that their actions could be fatal,and that they were indifferent as to the outcome of their actions.

Put another way,if they knew that what they were doing could kill their victim,and they continued regardless,they are murderers.


Anybody,no matter how high on drugs,who carries a knife does so with the knowledge that in using such a weapon,they run the risk of killing someone.A ten year old kid could tell you that if you stab someone,they can die.

[MaximusGTR]

If the mom was even in on it 2%, her bitch ass should be hung

[2strokebloke]

I thought that they were sold salt - how could they be under the influence of meth.
Anyway, anybody who chooses to do such an idiotic drug (Hmmm, how to make it? - some Ajax, drain cleaner, anti-freeze etc.)
People who do such drugs have already sentenced themselves to death - these two should be burned at the stake.

[boingo82]

Originally posted by freakray
...
What kind of upbringing were the teenagers getting that they are so heavily addicted at such an age, and how many other crimes had they commited in supporting their addiction...

They were the children of a murderer. Their father was imprisoned years ago for killing his girlfriend.

[VWSNOT]

The mother should be held responsible for leaving her children unattended!!!! I have a three year old nephew, and If my sister ever left him unattended I would flip!! Those teens need to lots of jail time!!! Stories like this make me so ::apuke:

[Jimster]

The woman should be done for neglect and possible dealing ni Narcotics


The Teens for posession of Class A drugs and murder.

[stubacca]

The teens should be held responsible, contingent on the full facts of the case. From what you've written here, someone pissing you off by selling you a misleading product (be it bad drugs, a bad car etc) is not an excuse for assault of them or their family, let alone manslaughter/murder. They went there with the intention of causing grievous bodily harm, with an inherent high risk of death, so I can't see why it wouldn't be murder.

I don't see the mother of the children being responsible for the deaths, though. Possibly neglect, I'd think. If there is a proven link to drugs (and it's not just a story made up by the teens), then she deserves to be charged to the full extent of the law. If not, she'll still have to live with what happened to her small children when she left them at home alone while she went off to gamble for the rest of her life.

[TheNotoriousMogg]

Yes the teens deifnently and so should the mother, she sold fake junk to someone u know there will be trouble brewin...plus she left too young children home alone..thats just ignorant

[Sean]

i dont care whos really to blame, but they should be forced to pay for a sex change so they can get a swift kick in the nuts