Cut Lyons some slack, at least this time

August 15, 2007
By Billy Dennis

Being the biased, disreputable and unedited blogger than I am, I usually look for every opportunity to run-down people I’ve targeted as my enemies. Nevertheless, I cannot work up any outrage against Kevin Lyons — a frequent target of mine — for his decision to NOT charge those four Bradley University students with murder.

Seriously folks, I get it. I know that on the surface, it looks like Lyons is taking it easy on upper, middle-class white kids who caused a death while going after a 15-year-old black kid from the wrong side of town.

But I can’t see how anyone honestly thinks these guys wanted to cause their friend to die. Considering how they did the same thing previously with no one getting hurt, I can see how they might in their drunken stupor think this was a harmless prank. Hence, the aggravated arson charges.

You toss a heavy brick onto an interstate from an overpass, you have to KNOW someone could get seriously hurt. If anything, I think a case might be made that the 15-year-old should be charged with reckless homicide. But considering the frothing-at-the-mouth anger almost all of us experienced, Lyons would have been run out of town at anything less than murder charges.

So Lyons is getting a pass from this blogger regarding the arson charges. I’m sure he’s breathing a sigh or relief.

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6 Responses to “ Cut Lyons some slack, at least this time ”

  1. Bleah « blueollie on August 15, 2007 at 10:42 am

    [...] I went to the visitation for the Dahlquist Family whose 19 year old son died this week as the result of a prank gone bad. There is quite a bit of buzz as to what the 4 pranksters should get, in terms of criminal charges. [...]

  2. cgiselle12 on August 15, 2007 at 1:46 pm

    AS I said on CJ’s site this morning, WEEK’s crawl, and now you Billy, seem to think we want the four men involved in Dahlquist’s death strung up. By no means do I think this. It’s a huge tragedy.

    What I think is another tragedy is that Rakeim Campbell, a 15 year old KID, is being charged with murder one. HE IS A KID – I don’t care where he’s from, what school he went to, how long his rap sheet is (which is not really all THAT long, for pete’s sake). He is a kid. 15 year olds cannot form the intent required, in my opinion – check with Eyebrows re legality – necessary for that described by murder one.

    And even if they are approaching sociopathic enough to manage that kind of intent (which I doubt Campbell is) – then he’s STILL a kid who deserves a second, third, fourth, fiftieth chance because he’s a kid – and he didn’t pick his parents, or his school district or his race.

    So no, don’t string up the Bradley guys, reduce the sentence for Campbell. That’s what we’re saying.

  3. Billy Dennis on August 15, 2007 at 1:54 pm

    Ummm …. did you READ this post?

  4. cgiselle12 on August 15, 2007 at 2:42 pm

    oohf, sorry Billy. Got stuck in your fourth paragraph there. And I’m still annoyed at WEEK’s crawl.

  5. Rob B. on August 16, 2007 at 7:42 am

    So, these 4 guys are not responsible because their thinking was impaired by alcohol, and they had done this before with no real consequence.

    Seems like 18 to 20 year olds should be expected to know what might happen when fireworks are lit inside around flammable materials.

    Using this logic, couldn’t one say that a 15 year old might have thrown a brick with no consequence, leading him to believe it is a harmless prank? How is a 15 year old held to a higher level of accountability than 4 adults?

  6. Pez on August 16, 2007 at 5:32 pm

    This 15 yr monster deserves a fiftieth chance?!?! Good Lord, no wonder the Peoria is in such a mess. Let him live next to you for a while and see if you agree then…