A little news from Chicago IL my home town.
A 16-year-old boy was given five years' probation today for having caused the death of an elderly woman, fatally burned in her south suburban home after fireworks lit by the youth set it ablaze.
The teen, whose identity was withheld because he is a juvenile, also was ordered to undergo counseling and perform 350 hours of community service, possibly in the burn unit of Stroger Hospital of Cook County.
During a sentencing hearing today in the Markham branch of Cook County Circuit Court, Judge Michael Stuttley acknowledged the teen was guilty of a "stupid act" but never intended to kill Eleanore Moll, 76, of the 500 block of Yates Avenue in Calumet City.
The ruling upset relatives of the victim.
"Justice has not been served, and our family has been victimized a second time," Shirley Wass, a niece of Moll's, said after Stuttley's ruling.
The youth was convicted last October of involuntary manslaughter and arson in Moll's death. She died July 11, eight days after fireworks slipped through the mail slot of her home set her house on fire. Police arrested the boy the day after the fire.
The teen and two friends were riding their bicycles home from a fireworks show at Thornton Fractional North High School sometime after 10 p.m. July 3 when they randomly picked Moll's brick bungalow, authorities have said.
The youth pushed packs of lighted fireworks through the mail slot and into the home's front hallway, and fled, police have said. Curtains and pull-down shades in the hallway quickly caught fire, and smoke filled the home.
Moll managed to call police before collapsing. Calumet City firefighters broke through a front window and found Moll unconscious and barely breathing inside. She never regained consciousness. The blaze also caused about $100,000 in fire and smoke damage.
Family members and prosecutors today urged Stuttley to order jail time for the teen, saying it could deter other youths from carrying out pranks that often carry serious consequences.
But Stuttley agreed with defense attorneys who said jail time would further harm a youngster who already is experiencing debilitating guilt and has no prior criminal history.
"He's not a perfect child," Stuttley said, "but I've heard nothing that indicates he has a criminal nature."
Were he to impose a prison sentence, the judge said, "will I be destroying a second individual?"
A 16-year-old boy was given five years' probation today for having caused the death of an elderly woman, fatally burned in her south suburban home after fireworks lit by the youth set it ablaze.
The teen, whose identity was withheld because he is a juvenile, also was ordered to undergo counseling and perform 350 hours of community service, possibly in the burn unit of Stroger Hospital of Cook County.
During a sentencing hearing today in the Markham branch of Cook County Circuit Court, Judge Michael Stuttley acknowledged the teen was guilty of a "stupid act" but never intended to kill Eleanore Moll, 76, of the 500 block of Yates Avenue in Calumet City.
The ruling upset relatives of the victim.
"Justice has not been served, and our family has been victimized a second time," Shirley Wass, a niece of Moll's, said after Stuttley's ruling.
The youth was convicted last October of involuntary manslaughter and arson in Moll's death. She died July 11, eight days after fireworks slipped through the mail slot of her home set her house on fire. Police arrested the boy the day after the fire.
The teen and two friends were riding their bicycles home from a fireworks show at Thornton Fractional North High School sometime after 10 p.m. July 3 when they randomly picked Moll's brick bungalow, authorities have said.
The youth pushed packs of lighted fireworks through the mail slot and into the home's front hallway, and fled, police have said. Curtains and pull-down shades in the hallway quickly caught fire, and smoke filled the home.
Moll managed to call police before collapsing. Calumet City firefighters broke through a front window and found Moll unconscious and barely breathing inside. She never regained consciousness. The blaze also caused about $100,000 in fire and smoke damage.
Family members and prosecutors today urged Stuttley to order jail time for the teen, saying it could deter other youths from carrying out pranks that often carry serious consequences.
But Stuttley agreed with defense attorneys who said jail time would further harm a youngster who already is experiencing debilitating guilt and has no prior criminal history.
"He's not a perfect child," Stuttley said, "but I've heard nothing that indicates he has a criminal nature."
Were he to impose a prison sentence, the judge said, "will I be destroying a second individual?"