Arkansas father that juvenile convicted of killing his son will not face adult consequences

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – The family of a 18-year-old killed in Little Rock last year says another teenager is being given a second chance at life even after he took someone else’s.

Blue lights and yellow tape were the scene on the other end of a phone call Clarence Wiley never thought he would have received. Police said his son, Darrion Brayshawn Threets-Wiley, had been murdered very close to home.

"He left the house around 12 or 12:30 and he was murdered by 1 pm, so I mean he was like a few blocks from home," Wiley recalled.

Wiley had only recently found out he had a son, but over the year and a half that preceded the teen’s death, they two worked on creating a bond.

"I was just building a relationship with him, I wanted to see him grow into adulthood and watch him transition and that was just taken away," Wiley said.

A police report outlined the details of the Mar. 12, 2022, shooting on West 65th Street. Officers said they found Threets-Wiley shot and slumped over in his vehicle.

Police said they also found another person, identified as 24-year-old Maliek Brookins, who was suffering from gunshot wounds. Brookins was later named as a suspect in the case. The report also noted that a 16-year-old that was arrested in connection to the shooting.

"Both of the young men confessed it was a robbery, and it was supposed to be a smash and grab, and my son put up a fight," Wiley said.

When time came for the trial of the younger suspect, the distraught father said he was there for it all but disappointed with the outcome.

"He's pretty much going to get away with murder," Wiley said.

The 16-year-old was charged as a juvenile in the case, even though Wiley claimed he confessed to being the shooter. Because of that ruling and Arkansas state law, the 16-year-old will face a limited term in juvenile detention followed by house arrest, far less that the sentence Wiley believes he deserves.

"We have to do something about these laws,” he said. “My child is gone, no matter how much time they are given that won't bring my child back, and I do feel a sense of empathy for all of the parties involved, however the parents they can visit their child in jail. My son is gone."

William H Bowen School of Law director of advocacy Pat Harris explained that if a teen is charged as a juvenile, they can be given that second chance at life.

"If he goes to juvenile court, then he won't go to prison, he may go to a youth lock up, but he gets out when he's 18 and we can only control him until he is 18 or 21," Harris said.

While some make the most of this second chance, there are steps in place if juvenile offenders don’t walk the line.

"You know the nice things about second chances is people can either think they are blessed or bulletproof, and if they are bulletproof, we will get them again," Harris said.

In his son’s case, Wiley said the judge ruled the 16-year-old to serve five years of probation and house arrest, a sentence that still offers the young a future even though Wiley’s son has none.

"My blood was boiling at that point because he is getting a second chance to finish his education and to come out and be a productive citizen, if he choses to do so. You know, where is my child’s second chance?” he said. “The punishment that I feel that he should be given may not be in the designed plan. Karma has its way."

Wiley said he has tried to accept that they may never feel like justice was truly served.

In the case that the 16-year-old does commit another crime, he could then be charged as an adult.

Brookins was arrested last year in connection to the shooting. He is currently being held in the Pulaski County Regional Detention Facility and facing charges of capital murder and aggravated robbery. His trial is scheduled for November.

from KARK https://ift.tt/t9XhrjU