Legalities of a situation...someone i know has mentioned killing someone...joking?

[platypus]

He wants to kill multiple people by the way. He said he has a list.

[platypus]

Backgound: I am in High School, 10th grade. There is a kid who tends to always be around my friends and I, so we treat him with respect (not meaning we like him, by any means). He is a pagan, he has denounced God (we go to a Catholic school), and he once cast a spell on someone that they die, and then silently rejoiced when they had the flu the next day.

 

The Problem: He has been mentioning, and has mentioned in the past, killing people. I don't know if he's joking or not, but I wouldn't put it past him. He is a pretty scary person, and people make fun of him all the time, but this just put me over the edge. I didn't say anything the first time, but the 2nd and 3rd times, when he talked about impaling people at track with the pole-thing, I had an obvious look of shock on my face. He also wants to cut people up into tiny little pieces, just so you know.

 

Let's assume worst case scenario. We have another Columbine. If I knew but didn't tell anyone, could I be in legal trouble?

[Philip OKeefe]

Forget legal trouble - if you had clues in advance and didn't tell anyone and something did happen, you'd feel horrible.

 

My advice: Discuss it with your parents or a school counsellor. This isn't something for your friend to joke about, or for you to take lightly or try to handle on your own.

 

Your friend needs some help. If he has a list, that's NOT a good sign. I suggest you talk to someone immediately!

[platypus]

I'm not going to handle it on my own. That is ridiculous. He is a scary person.

[Philip OKeefe]

Like I said, you need to talk to a responsible adult. Today. As in "immediately".

[ECBRules]

I agree. a quick chat with a counselor will have him call his parents and it will be completely anonymous on your behalf. He has probably said the same stuff to other people as well to see people's impacts.

[platypus]

He didn't say it to me privately. He sat with me and 4 other people at lunch.

[Jeff Klopmeyer]

Be the man, and tell someone about it. Do it anonymously if you want. But DO tell someone. Like, now.

 

- Jeff

[platypus]

Don't worry. I will.

[Tedster]

What Phil, Jeff, and others have said. This is abnormal behavior, and it needs to be delved into immediately. If you won't do it, send one of us the necessary information and we will see that someone is notified. You could be preventing another Columbine.

 

You've reached out to us, which is a good thing. A better thing is to reach out to someone who is in an immediate position to help.

 

Please let us know how this turns out.

[midinut]

I agree with what they all are telling you! Do it now! Tell someone (and let's add the responsible adult thing as well). Better to err on the side of safe than regret from the side of sorry! Not being Catholic or anything but don't they have "confessionals"? Could that be an appropriate place to tell a priest about the situation? Just asking ... don't know! And let us know what happens. We'll all be worried in the meantime (and praying for you). Okay, it's a parent thing!

[where02190]

Definitely either talk to someone or anonymously notify your school counsellors, teachers or parents.

[videoeditor1]

Get off you ass and tell a responsible adult like yesterday.

 

The person you save from a shotgun blast could be you.

 

'Drew

[spokenward]

And don't feel like you are squealing.

 

As you collect your thoughts on this consider why this person is scary to you - Things like destructive or disruptive behavior. Setting fires, hurting animals, bullying, detailed plans for destruction of the world. All of that stuff. This will help the person that you tell assess the threat and response.

 

You are doing a responsible thing.

[Phait]

I used to have a leather trench in high school, I got a few "hey where's your shotgun?" jokes - this was before Columbine, I believe. Either way, after that happened I gave it away... it just didn't feel right.

 

Anyway, I hope this is resolved well.

[Hanshananigan]

Tell your counselor, anon. if necessary. Now.

 

Include lots of details- writing it down beforehand is a great idea, and will help your counselor immensely in deciding a course of action. Include: what he said, when he said it, whether anything or anybody in particular "triggered" his statements, whether he has the means to do these things (if you know), etc.

 

Saying such things, even if he isn't really considering carrying them out right now, suggests he's not coping well with some sort of stressor/fear/frustration/pain. Even if he's not planning another Columbine, the counselor should be able to give him a hand in learing better ways to cope with normal high school stresses, and can take more aggressive (legal, CPS, etc) action if he is experiencing something bad at home, school, etc.

 

You're doing the right thing. Good luck, and keep us posted!

[platypus]

He is scary because he has painted his room entirely black, he has cast spells of death on people, he wears skull rings, the obvious (telling people that he wants to kill others). He's not a bully--in fact he's bullied. I would feel bad for him, besides the fact that he has mentioned murder. That's not cool.

[Steve Force]

You know what you need to do--now do it.

[platypus]

Don't worry. Thanks for all of your help. I'll definately report back.

[Blue Strat]

Originally posted by platypus:

He is scary because he has painted his room entirely black, he has cast spells of death on people, he wears skull rings, the obvious (telling people that he wants to kill others). He's not a bully--in fact he's bullied. I would feel bad for him, besides the fact that he has mentioned murder. That's not cool.

He's obviously got some kind of fixation on the occult. The appareal isn't necessarily bad, but the casting spells thing signals a mental problem to me. Maybe his parents neglect him? Being bullied has made me feel like killing some people when I was younger, but I've got a decent measure of self-control and had no illusions about what the consequences of my actions would be. A couple of years down the road, and I'm laughing at the guys that used to pick on me when I see them behind the counter at MacDonalds or Discount Tire. High-school is a temporary state of existance.

[Super 8]

Scary stuff.

 

Keep us posted.

[Phait]

Skull rings and black walls make a person scary too?

 

Oh wait, we are in the 21st century yet.

[Philip OKeefe]

The black walls and skull rings don't bother me in and of themselves, but the threats of violence coupled with the "list" AND the occult stuff... yeah, taken as a "package", I definitely think it bears close investigation by adult authorities.

 

Looks can be deceptive, and I wouldn't be concerned just because someone had a Goth "image" or whatever... but threatening to kill people is going way too far.

[Phait]

Yeah, I'm not disagreeing with that part at all.

[LiveMusic]

Yep, I'd say TOMORROW, you should talk to a counselor. You'll be fine but you owe to you and all of your friends to do this. Tomorrow, uh, TODAY. Good luck.

[pseudonym]

This is whats truly wrong with this world, some kids vent some frustration and hostility and everyone wants to narc the kid-out?

 

Yeh, right..!(Jim Morrison)

 

Why don't you kids just talk it out with each other instead of getting the establishment into it?

 

When I was that age, we would beat the crap out-of each other until we all agreed it was pointless to go on..........weird man, totally..

[Phait]

Whoah, I didn't realize I was in the political forum.

 

*finds the door*

[Dan South]

Originally posted by platypus:

Let's assume worst case scenario. We have another Columbine. If I knew but didn't tell anyone, could I be in legal trouble?

No, you will not be in legal trouble. Just because someone says something negative does not mean that they are going to do anything about it. You cannot be held responsible for misinterpreting the level of seriousness of someone's comment.

 

But forget the legal implications (or the lack thereof). Think of the moral implications. Would you be able to live with yourself if you knew that you could have stopped something terrible from happening? Imagine if you were the victim of a rampage that someone else had the power to stop. Do the right thing.

 

There is a kid who tends to always be around my friends and I.

 

And after you get done doing the right thing, please try to understand why this sentence is grammatically incorrect (two problems). Here is the corrected version.

 

"There is a kid who always tends to be around my friends and me."

 

[Base]

Originally posted by pseudonym:

This is whats truly wrong with this world, some kids vent some frustration and hostility and everyone wants to narc the kid-out?

 

Yeh, right..!(Jim Morrison)

 

Why don't you kids just talk it out with each other instead of getting the establishment into it?

 

When I was that age, we would beat the crap out-of each other until we all agreed it was pointless to go on..........weird man, totally..

It probably is nothing and the kid is just being a prick to get attention, but nothing wrong with erring on the side of caution. Hopefully whoever Platypus tells will approach this kid with some sensitivity and not just demand to know what the hell he is doing!!!

 

Sorry to say it (again), but in the US, it's just too easy for someone like this to get access to the sort of weaponry to easily allow him to carry out some sick fantasies if they aren't nipped in the bud quickly!!!!

 

Also, Hey Phait, good to see you back in here, how's things??

[Blue Strat]

Sorry to say it (again), but in the US, it's just too easy for someone like this to get access to the sort of weaponry to easily allow him to carry out some sick fantasies if they aren't nipped in the bud quickly!!!!

I have to disagree with you on that. There are laws over here, we don't live in the "Wild West" over here like you Europeans seem to think. What sort of weaponry are you refering to? For rifle or shotgun ownership you've got to be 18 years of age, and you must be 21 for pistols and revolver ownership. Machine guns, sawed off shotguns, and the like are regulated by the government. They are obtainable, but you have to have a federal Class 3 firearms license which is very expensive and you also have to pass very in-depth background checks.

 

If you're talking about going outside the law, there's not much anyone can do about that, other than punish the offenders when they are arrested. There's criminals in England that are armed with firearms. The IRA has been getting guns into Ireland for decades.