"but God Told Me To!"

[Discrim]

http://www.cnn.com/2004/LAW/03/29/children.slain/index.html

(CNN) -- In opening statements Monday, a Texas prosecutor described how a mother smashed the head of her infant son with a rock and then led her two older boys outside and did the same to them, killing the two oldest boys.

Deanna Laney, 39, has been charged with two counts of murder in the deaths of sons Joshua, 8, and Luke, 6, and a single count of injury to a child, Aaron, her 15-month-old who survived the attack.

The prosecution's first witness in the Tyler, Texas, trial was the 911 operator who identified the tape of Laney's dispassionate call saying that she had killed her boys with a rock.

Laney sat through opening statements with her head bowed, crying softly. She has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity.

Prosecutors have chosen not to seek the death penalty in the case.

Smith County District Attorney Matt Bingham told jurors it was their task to determine if Laney was insane or if the prosecution had proved that she knew what she was doing when she bludgeoned the heads of her three sons.

Aaron survived the attack on May 9, 2003 -- Mother's Day -- with critical injuries.

"His vision is impaired, and he will never be self-sufficient," Bingham said. "At best he will always be dependent on someone else.

"The last thing that Joshua and Luke Laney ever saw on this Earth was their Mama holding a rock over her head," he said. "And the last thing they felt was that rock crashing down on them."

After killing Joshua and Luke, Bingham said, Laney telephoned 911, telling the operator, "I just killed my boys. I don't think I did right by Aaron."

When the 911 tape was played in court, Laney closed her eyes and began crying again as she heard the operator try to keep her on the line until sheriff's deputies arrived. Her husband -- Keith Laney, who has been supportive of his wife -- sat two rows behind the defense table, his head in his hands as the tape was played.

Laney's court-appointed attorney, F.R. "Buck" Files, presented his case for an insanity defense during his opening statement.

"You will hear that she was a sick person on a quest to be closer to her Lord," Files said. "The only explanation which any of the witnesses can offer for her conduct ... is that Deanna Laney was legally insane."

Files said Laney believed that God had told her the world was going to end and "she had to get her house in order," which included killing her children.

"The dilemma she faced is a terrible one for a mother," Files said. "Does she follow what she believes to be God's will, or does she turn her back on God?"

Files said he would present witnesses who would corroborate Laney's love of her children as well as her belief "that the word of God was infallible."

"It destroyed her ability to discern the wrongness of her act," he said.

If the jury were to agree with the defense, Laney would immediately go into maximum security for evaluation at a state psychiatric hospital, where she could stay as long as the maximum sentence she would receive if she were convicted -- 40 years.

The jury will not be permitted to hear and consider that information.

thou shalt not kill

I just wanna know...why does everybody blame their stupidity on God? It seems like it's either God told me to do it or Eminem told me to do it.

[Ez Street]

thou shalt not kill

Oh bring that up!

Listen this is an obvious attempt by the Lawyers to get an insanity plea. That is rediculous i mean what is next "I'm Koo-Koo for Coco Puffs"? Yeah, there are never signs of insanity before someone offs somebody else. You aren't insane till you kill somebody......well at least thats the impression i get.

Let's beat her on the head with a rock!

an eye for an eye

[zer0dotcom]

thou shalt not kill

an eye for an eye

theres alot of conflicting things in my mind right there.

People have to stop blaming other people, other being for their own irresponcible actions; it's a cop out for those who don't have the fortitude or maturity to take responcibility for their actions.

it's like blaming heavy metal music for teen violence. I listen to some heavy stuff, and I don't go out and beat people or do drugs or get women pregnant. If i did, me blaming Metal, rap or loud music isn't going to fix things, or make them go away. I would be the one to screw up, and I'd have to deal with it.

When it comes down to it, it's the individual's actions that lead to the concequences, after all, when the moment of truth arrives, they can choose NOT to follow through

[nitroseed]

I just wanna know...why does everybody blame their stupidity on God? It seems like it's either God told me to do it or Eminem told me to do it.

Mainly because no one wants to take responsibility for themselves anymore, and it's easy to blame God since he can't just appear and say, "Hey, I had nothing to do with this."

It's just like parents who blame TV and want violent shows taken off the air when their 12-year-old son watches wrestling and then gives his little sister a Stone Cold Stunner and kills her. The parents don't want to accept the fact that they should have been responsible enough to either 1) teach their kids that kind of behavior is wrong, not to mention wrestling is fake and they don't really hurt each other or 2) be involved enough with their kids to monitor what they watch and regulate it if they watch something the parents feel isn't appropriate for the kid to handle. Parents expect the TV to be a babysiter nowadays and leave the responsibility up to the networks to decide what their kids watch. That really burns me up.

...Sorry, kind of went on a tangent there, but it's a legitimate point. No one wants to accept any responsibility for themselves when something goes wrong. And, besides, all these people who falsely blame God will have to deal with Him when their time comes.

[slapshot]

why did the 12-year-old give his little sister a Stunner?

"cuz Stone Cold said so"

[NJTank]

I just wanna know...why does everybody blame their stupidity on God? It seems like it's either God told me to do it or Eminem told me to do it.

Mainly because no one wants to take responsibility for themselves anymore, and it's easy to blame God since he can't just appear and say, "Hey, I had nothing to do with this."

It's just like parents who blame TV and want violent shows taken off the air when their 12-year-old son watches wrestling and then gives his little sister a Stone Cold Stunner and kills her. The parents don't want to accept the fact that they should have been responsible enough to either 1) teach their kids that kind of behavior is wrong, not to mention wrestling is fake and they don't really hurt each other or 2) be involved enough with their kids to monitor what they watch and regulate it if they watch something the parents feel isn't appropriate for the kid to handle. Parents expect the TV to be a babysiter nowadays and leave the responsibility up to the networks to decide what their kids watch. That really burns me up.

...Sorry, kind of went on a tangent there, but it's a legitimate point. No one wants to accept any responsibility for themselves when something goes wrong. And, besides, all these people who falsely blame God will have to deal with Him when their time comes.

That is true its almost like they get pregant give birth and tell society ok raise my child, and when he grows up commits a crime or sdes something wrong she wants to sue ever Tom, Dick and Harry.

The problem is there are too many lawyers sorry YHollander.

These lawyers just sue everything that moves someone is fat lets sue McDonalds for making him fat.

I guess that Grimese held a gun to his head whole Ronald force fed him.

I heard on the news today someone is suing and airline for getting him drunk. Damn those stewardess that hold force you to drink by holding your head back and pouring it down your throat.

We are quickly becoming a soceity that would rather blame anyone else then look inward at the real problems.

There needs to be tort reform taht would stop these ridiculous lawsuits and peopel need to take responsibllity again.

Parents need to monitor what children watch and turn teh channel no matter how much they whine or cry. The V chip was invented now use it. There is a raiting system use it.

BTW: People shoudl wtach the movie 15 Minutes it nailed it about how criminals could take advantage of this victim culture.

[fiasco!]

i don't know about you guys, but as a father, stories like this give me the chills.....i firmly believe that people need to undergo a battery of psychological tests before they are allowed to have children. there are too many stories like this popping far too often.

i say her punishment should be to have someone with a masked likeness of her children pop her in the head with rocks everyday for the rest of her miserable, pathetic fluffing life.

this society fluffing sucks, to allow people to take away not only lives, but the promises of what is to come for those children...... fluff deanna laney, fluff her husband for being supportive of her, and fluff her attorney for even thinking about copping an insanity plea.

[Discrim]

I heard on the news today someone is suing and airline for getting him drunk. Damn those stewardess that hold force you to drink by holding your head back and pouring it down your throat.

you're not kidding, are you? that's just pathetically sad...i'm guessing it'll be a while if we as a nation just look at the person in the mirror-and NOT solely for vanity or washing your face

[Ez Street]

well there are a lot of people in the country that like to tell you, "You can't think for yourself". These kind of lawsuits sort of prove that in my opinion.

zer0dotcom, you said what i said was conflicting, that was my point. Religion is VERY hypocritical at times.

It was my tounge-in-cheek way of saying that.

[Lee.]

i don't know about you guys, but as a father, stories like this give me the chills.....i firmly believe that people need to undergo a battery of psychological tests before they are allowed to have children. there are too many stories like this popping far too often.

i say her punishment should be to have someone with a masked likeness of her children pop her in the head with rocks everyday for the rest of her miserable, pathetic fluffing life.

this society fluffing sucks, to allow people to take away not only lives, but the promises of what is to come for those children...... fluff deanna laney, fluff her husband for being supportive of her, and fluff her attorney for even thinking about copping an insanity plea.

But you can't make someone go through a battery of tests before they can have children, it's unconstitutional, and against basic liberties. Just wait until their children hit someone else in their car, or shoot them in the school cafeteria, because of faulty parenting and neglect.

Teachers want every other kid in school to be on ritalin because the kids are unruly, flighty, cant concentrate...well duh, they're kids. Want them to concentrate? Make the lesson plan fun and interesting, show up to teach, not to kill time till your 2-month summer break to go to Europe, smoke weed, and swap partners (not speaking for all teachers, just the few I know).

Television is evil. Yet Sesame Street helped me to read, write, add. I was reading at age 3, people. Of course my parents encouraged me to read everything I could get my hands on (my comic collection as a kid was phenomenal), but Sesame St and Electric Company just added to my sponge-like thirst for more more more. I have yet to pop a cap in someone for spilling chocolate milk on my Nikes (like I can afford them, they're shoes, not precious metals). I listened to Zeppelin and Ozzy as a kid, I took songs for what they were. Songs.

If your kid is fluffed in the head, look within. I know there are no real rulebooks, and IMO, the ones that are out there are so liberal and condescending that it hurts. BUt at some point, horse sense needs to come into play with things. If you can't deal with life on your own, a kid isn't going to make things better.

As Keanu Reaves once said, you need a license to drive...you even need a license to catch a fish. But any can have a kid. And I speak as an with three of them.

[NJTank]

So true Osilverbacks

These parents need to set rules and guidlines becuase a child is never going to learn it on their own, and schools should have rules, but they should make the lessons more intersting at the same time make learning active.

Ridiulin does not help its turning kids into zombies and I trully think is setting the stage for a life of drug use.

[nitroseed]

Another tangent of sorts:

As someone who has been on Ritalin to combat the effects of ADD (and don't say it isn't real because I could tell you first-hand a hundred reasons why it is), it is dangerous. It's been proven that Ritalin affects kids the same way that cocaine affects adults. While I can't attest to the similarities to cocaine, since I've never tried it, I do know that Ritalin messes kids up. It has very dramatic psychological effects like uncontrollable rage and violent mood swings. It screws with your appetite. It makes you jumpy. It gives you insomnia in some cases. At least that was my experience. Most teachers and parents probably don't care about that part, though. They just want their child/student to behave to make their lives easier.

Anyway, just thought I'd throw that in.

[zer0dotcom]

OK, i'm going to get alittle off topic from the origonal thread, but bear with

The whole discussion about kids has reminded me of a simpsons moment that I thought is significant to this, if not, apologies.

"We've tried nothing and we're already nowhere! We don't believe in rules, you gotta help us Doc!" - Ned Flanders' un-named mother, begging Dr. Foster to help them control a kid that was uncontrolable because his parents never gave him guidelines.

I realize that it is ficticious and an opinion on social conditions by the writers, but it illustrates the point made that there are parents out there who don't take enough care of their offspring, and then blame/look for solutions from outside sources for their own shortcomings.

I think that the boundaries of TV are being pushed more than evernow though. TV isn't totally to blame, but to see some of the garbage that is out there, and the content of some TV programs is a real eye openers.

Language on TV has gotten worse and wosre tot he point where the only remaining word that you will not see on most (i repeat MOSt channels, some do allow it) is the big "F" it's a small wonder that kids today say some awful things.

as for TV and steriotypes, I just have to point my finger to a new Fox show debuting soon...THE SWAN.

to anyone who has not heard about this show, a brief synopsis. Foxz is taking 40 or so ordinary women, giving them plastic surgeryto try and transform them into a beauty quenn. "but even after the transformation, some still won't be good enough" (actual quote)

just seeing this drivel confirms that TV is responcible for someof the steriotyping nad behaviours exibited by people who watch too much tv, or don't watch objectivly. more now than ever it is importnat for parents to take a look at their children';s viewing habits, find out what they are watching and if need be turn it off. or a better idea, turn it off anyways and go outside and do something fun! bike to a park, go for a walk and talk, go visit people. guarenteed, it's better than most things on the aptly named 'boob toob'

(EZ, sorry if i misread your post, i've jsut always found conflict with those two lines, no matter where i see them )

[Ez Street]

(EZ, sorry if i misread your post, i've jsut always found conflict with those two lines, no matter where i see them )

it's cool man, i got what you were saying.

[Shizznick]

I heard on the radio last night that there is a young woman who is going to sue an abortion clinic because they believed her when she presented a false ID for an abortion because she was under the legal age of 18 (She was only 17). People need to be accountable for their actions and stop trying to get money through the courts because they lack sound judgement. Makes me so mad, I want to sue somebody.

[zer0dotcom]

while we're on stupid lawsuits, i'm gonna sue the University for casueing dibilitating stress and mental anguish worrying over grades and fighting with dumb profs! Post secondary students unite!!!!

(jokes! I'm just jumping on the bandwagon while it's around )

[Discrim]

I heard on the radio last night that there is a young woman who is going to sue an abortion clinic because they believed her when she presented a false ID for an abortion because she was under the legal age of 18 (She was only 17). People need to be accountable for their actions and stop trying to get money through the courts because they lack sound judgement. Makes me so mad, I want to sue somebody.

I only have one thing to say...this girl was underage, presented a fake ID....shouldn't SHE be the one getting sued? That's like a guy suing a bank cus he was able to get away with robbing it

you break the fluffing law, how in the flying fluff do you justify suing?

[See Red]

Well, if all goes correctly, within the next few days I will be filing my law suit against all of you and this board because it's taking away from my homework time, contributing to my low grades, and possibly being the cause of future lost wages as I won't be able to get as good a job without good grades cuz' it'll effect what college I go to. That's the kind of stupid lawsuits occur in this country.

Now, I must present an email I got filled with dumb lawsuits! I dunno if they're all real, but hey... they're still funny...

Kathleen Robertson of Austin, Texas, was awarded $780,000 by a jury of her peers after breaking her ankle tripping over a toddler who was running inside a furniture store. The owners of the store were understandably surprised at the verdict, considering the misbehaving little toddler was Ms. Robertson's son.

19-year-old Carl Truman of Los Angeles won $74,000 and medical expenses when his neighbor ran over his hand with a Honda Accord. Mr. Truman apparently didn't notice there was someone at the wheel of the car when he was trying to steal his neighbor's hub caps.

Terrence Dickson of Bristol, Pennsylvania, was leaving a house he had just finished robbing by way of the garage. He was not able to get the garage door to go up since the automatic door opener was malfunctioning.He couldn't re-enter the house because the door connecting the house and garage locked when he pulled it shut. The family was on vacation, and Mr. Dickson found himself locked in the garage for eight days. He subsisted on a case of Pepsi he found, and a large bag of dry dog food. He sued the home owner's insurance claiming this situation caused him undue mental anguish. The jury agreed to the tune of $500,000.

Jerry Williams of Little Rock, Arkansas, was awarded $14,500 and medical expenses after being bitten on the buttocks by his next door neighbor's beagle. The beagle was on a chain in its owner's fenced yard. The award was less than sought because the jury felt the dog might have been just a little provoked at the time by Mr. Williams who had climbed over the fence into the yard and was shooting it repeatedly with a pellet gun.

A Philadelphia restaurant was ordered to pay Amber Carson of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, $113,500 after she slipped on a soft drink and broke her coccyx (tail bone). The beverage was on the floor because Ms. Carson had thrown it at her boyfriend 30 seconds earlier during an argument.

Kara Walton of Claymont, Delaware, successfully sued the owner of a night club in a neighboring city when she fell from the bathroom window to the floor and knocked out her two front teeth. This occurred while Ms. Walton was trying to sneak through the window in the ladies room to avoid paying the $3.50 cover charge. She was awarded $12,000 and dental expenses.

This year's run away winner was Mr. Merv Grazinski of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Mr. Grazinski purchased a brand new 32-foot Winnebago motor home. On his first trip home, (from an OU football game), having driven onto the freeway, he set the cruise control at 70 mph and calmly left the drivers seat to go into the back and make himself a cup of coffee. Not surprisingly, the R. V. left the freeway, crashed and overturned.Mr. Grazinski sued Winnebago for not advising him in the owner's manual that he couldn't actually do this. The jury awarded him $1,750,000 plus a new motor home. The company actually changed their manuals on the basis of this suit, just in case there were any other complete morons buying recreation vehicles.

[zer0dotcom]

Cases like htis convince me that people DO need signs indicating that they are stupid. If you know that someone is a stupid person, you can change your behaviour accordingly to ensure that this stupid person does not sue you for some stupid reason

hmmmmm...i smell a new catch phrase coming on...

[Discrim]

sadly, i gotta agree, zero. lawsuits are like zero tolerance policies nowadays, zero thinking is involved. Without further ado, some re-enactments starring the Chris Creamer Players

"Hey syphi, your door cracked my head open...No, it doesn't matter that I was robbing you. I was injured in your house, so it's your fault."

"Hey, creamer, I broke my ankle in skydome, so I blame you. I mean, I can't sue my own kid, now can I? What, it was my fault? No, nonononono. That's all on you."

"OWWWW!!!! TANK!!! you ran over my freakin' hands!!! No, that bit about me jackin your hubcaps don't matter, see you in court!!!"