all right before we get into a rough subject I just want to tell you you're looking adorable today as adorable as a new little puppy tell them they look adorable rert crime conspiracy serial killers Cults and murder all things that I love to consume and I know you do too you adorable little button noos puppy dog intelligent little freak freak today we are are talking about some kids you you know children when you think of children you just you think of these innocent little humans just running around you know full of snot and dirt and
[ __ ] I don't know but innocent nonetheless but what you don't expect from them is for them to be enveloped in criminal activity such as murder and if you don't think that's possible well my Lord you are in for a shock because the youngest person to be tried as an adult in US history was only 12 years old 12 12 years old in this video we're going to be examining some of the most notorious cases of child murderers and why people seen as innocent and pure could fall down a path that leads to Deaths
so without further Ado let's unbuckle our sleep bels go mock five down the highway slam on the brakes and bust through this windshield into this true crime case together good job good job [Music] so the first case we're going to talk about is the case involving John vanables and Robert Thompson so in 1993 Liverpool became the stage for one of the most shocking crimes in British history John vanas and Robert Thompson both just 10 years old committed an act that would horrify the nation and Spark intense debates about Juvenile Justice and before their Infamous crime
these boys LED troubled lives marked by instability and behavioral issues so like I said venas and Thompson came from very challenging backgrounds both grew up in a workingclass neighborhood in Liverpool where poverty and social issues were very very prevalent anois in particular had a difficult home life his parents had separated and he lived with his mother who struggled with depression and Thompson's family situation was equally complex with reports of domestic violence and neglect so we're not we're not uh starting off on a good foot you know if you're if you're already naturally a violent and
antisocial kid this environment's not going to help you in the future or in this case in very soon and school records and reports from Social Services indicated early signs of of trouble for both boys the exhibited disruptive behavior in class and struggled academically as well and often engaged in Petty crimes such as shoplifting and teachers would note their tendency to bully other children and their apparent lack of empathy and despite these red flags the extent of their potential violence remained unrecognized which I don't know maybe it's just cuz I watch way too much True Crime
but if my kid was bullying other kids or like hurting animals and stuff you know straight to the asylum I'm just kidding I get him to talk to somebody so on February 12th 1993 the lives of these two boys and their young victim James Boler would intersect in a tragedy that shook the nation and the day began like any other at the New Strand Shopping Center in ble Mercy side and 2-year-old James was with his mother who momentarily lost sight of him at the butcher shop and of those crucial moments vanes and Thompson spotted the
toddler and made the fake decision to lure him away and CCTV footage would actually capture this chilling scene of the two boys leading James Away by the hand anyway only once were they stopped and challenged by witness to which they stated James was just their little brother and what followed was a prolonged ordeal of unimaginable cruelty for several hours venables and Thompson subjected James to severe physical abuse and they inflicted 42 separate in injuries on the toddler including devastating head trauma from a 22lb iron bar and in a maob attempt to cover up their tracks
they placed James body on a nearby railway tracks hoping to make his death appear as an accident and the discovery of James body sent shock waves through the community and ignited a massive police investigation and initially the perpetrator's identities remained unknown but the Breakthrough came with the analysis of the CCT TV footage from the shopping center the body was discovered on a railway line right next to a police station in Walton Liverpool over 2 miles from where he disappeared and the grainy images of the two young boys leading a toddler away became crucial evidence in
identifying vbl and Thompson it's such just such a like H off-putting and eerie and heartbreaking photo like I don't know just makes me sick to my stomach over the next few days about 60 youngsters were questioned then police were tipped off about two younger boys truanting from school when James went missing so when they said 10-year-old boys you think oh well it's got to be done information's come in so we've got to go and see him and interview but you elim expecting that that you know they could possibly be the ones oh no I didn't
as the investigation progressed both boys initially denied any involvement in the crime however under intense questioning their stories began to unravel it was it was like pulling teeth everything was coming slowly and you had to have a lot of patience to interview a guy you s a young boy like that and the Turning Point came when venois overwhelmed by guilt confessed to The Killing and his words were quote unquote I did kill him what about his mom will you tell her I'm sorry and it just revealed the weight of his actions and hinted at a
glimmer of remorse I guess and the arrest of two 10-year-old boys for such a heinous crime just sent shock waves through the British Society public anger was almost unprecedented there was a near Riot the first time the two appeared in court and the legal system faced a very unprecedented challenge how to try children so young for a crime of this magnitude and despite their age the decision was made to try Veno and Thompson as adults a move that would Spark intense debate about the juvenile justice system and the trial would begin November 1993 drawing intense
media coverage and public attention and the courtroom proceedings were a somber affair with the gravity of the crime contrasting sharply with the Youth of the defendants and the prosecution presented a case that detailed the brutal nature of the murder while the defense grappled with the task of representing clients who were still children themselves like I I don't know I can't imagine like you you see murderers on trial like you know 20 30 40 50 60 years old and you have like no remorse for them but like for a little 10-year-old kid you're like I were
they just confused is it something they saw on TV like I don't know even how you justify it but at the same time like they knew what they were doing I mean they planned to put him on the tracks to like cover up what they did and they lured him away like it was all premeditated so it's it's very hard and confusing and throughout the trial psychological evaluations of venas and Thompson painted a complex picture experts testified about their troubled backgrounds potential personality disorders and the impact of their upbringing on their behavior and these assessments
raised difficult questions about culpability Rehabilitation and the nature of evil in children and the presiding judge in his summary described the crime as quote unquote an act of unparalleled evil and barbarity and the sentiment just echoed The public's mood and set the tone of the verdict and sentencing and both venas and Thompson were found found guilty of murder and sentenced to be detained quote unquote at Her Majesty's pleasure the judge said which is like kind of based and this intermediate sentence meant that they would serve a minimum of 8 years before being considered for release
in the aftermath of this trial saw continued debate about the appropriate treatment of juvenile offenders questions would arise about the effectiveness of Rehabilitation programs for young criminals and the balance between punishment and reform and the case became a touchstone for discussions about the nature of evil the origins of violent behavior in children and the responsibility of society in preventing such tragedies and in 2001 after serving 8 years both venes and Thompson were released under new identities and this decision was met with controversy and public outcry naturally and authorities argued that they were now 18-year-old men
and had been rehabilitated and deserved a chance at a new life however many including James B family felt that the punishment had not fit the crime and the release came with strict conditions at least both men were given new identities and relocated to an undisclosed location and a worldwide injunction was put in place to protect their new identities and a measure deemed necessary due to the high-profile nature of the case and potential threats to their safety which I understand and it is fair as long as you know police are aware of them and they're being
monitored but as we will see this protection however would just prove to be a point of contention in the years to come and the years following the release have seen Divergent paths from Veno and Thompson while Thompson has reportedly not reoffended and maintained a low profile Veno story has taken a very dark turn he had been recalled to prison multiple times primarily for offenses related to child abuse images and these re offenses have reignited public debate about the efficiency of Rehabilitation for certain certain types of offenders and the long-term consequences of childhood trauma and criminal
behavior in the case of John vas and Robert Thompson continues to cast a long Shadow over discussions of Juvenile Justice in the UK and even Beyond and while the ballar case shocked the nation in 1993 an equally disturbing crime had unfolded decades earlier and that brings us to our next case which is the case of Mary Bell in 1968 a young girl's actions would challenge everything Society thought they knew about childhood violence what could drive an 11-year-old to commit murder not once but twice so Mary Bell was born May 26th 1957 in Northumberland England to
Betty and supposedly Billy Bell and her early life was marked by severe neglect and abuse setting the stage for the troubled child she would become Mary's mother a lady of the night reportedly expressed disdain for her newborn saying quote unquote take that thing away from me indicating a profound lack of maternal attachment from the very beginning and the extent of Mary's troubled upbringing became increasingly apparent as she Grew Older her mother attempted to give her away multiple times subjecting her to both physical and emotional harm in one particularly alarming incident Mary was hospitalized after allegedly
overdosing on her grandmother's medication raising serious concerns about her safety and well-being within her family environment and her mother would actively ignore family attempts and offers to take Mary into custody she would just be like no even though she hated her daughter she wanted to keep her and she would even later allow her clients she was a lady of the night to do things to her daughter as well which is horrendous and horrible and [ __ ] atrocious and these early experiences of neglect and abuse had a profound impact on Mary's psychological and emotional development
the constant rejection lack of nurturing care likely contributed to her difficulty in forming healthy attachments and understanding empathy and this emotional deficit would later manifest in her interactions with others particularly in her capacity for violence against younger children and on May 25th 1968 just one day before her 11th birthday Mary Bell committed her first murder she would strangle a 4-year-old boy named Martin Brown in a derelict house supposedly L with her friend Norma who was 13 and initially Martin's death was ruled an accident due to the presence of an empty bottle of pills found nearby
and with an autopsy even ruling out xixi but this misclassification would later be revealed as a cunning attempt by Mary to cover up her crime demonstrating a level of premeditation and deception unusual for a child her age like it's just so sad and I mean this is at a time where you know like True Crime and Tik toks and shows aren't aren't a thing at this point so she this has to be something she has either seen or experienced to some degree cuz like how how would she know to do this so it's just horrible
and in the aftermath of Martin Brown's death Mary's Behavior took an even more disturbing turn Mary knocked on Martin's mother's door asking to see him in his coffin saying quote unquote oh I know he's dead I want to see him in his coffin so The Morbid fascination and lack of empathy for the victim were clear indicators of Mary's psychological State and his mother never suspected her dismissing her as a curious child who was just being silly and the girl's involvement in Martin's death became more apparent when they vandalized a local nursery school and they left
behind notes claiming responsibility for the murder with chilling phrases such as I murder so that I may come back and we did murder Martin Brown off you bastard and these actions suggested not only a desire for attention but also a disturbing pride in their violent act it's just like sickening 11 and 13 like I don't even understand how this happens it it's insane and just 2 months after Martin Brown's murder on July 31st 1968 Mary would strike again and this time her victim was 3-year-old Brian how and Mary would strangle the boy and she would
take it even further This Time by mutilating his body with scissors and the coroner noted that the manner of the attack suggested the killer was a child due to the lack of force used a detail that would prove crucial in the investigation the body would be found with a weak attempt of being covered by weeds plants which would Point towards a child's involvement and I remember standing on these this huge concrete block looking down on the body of young Brian and from where I was standing I could see he was covered with long strands of
grass and and weeds in a poor attempt to try and hide the body and as the police investigation progressed Mary's involvement became increasingly apparent and during questioning she provided details about Brian H how's murder that had not been released to the public including mentioning the use of scissors and a Gillette razor and this knowledge LED detectives to suspect her of involvement strongly and initially Mary attempted to deflect blame onto an imaginary older boy but her evasive tactics soon began to unravel and throughout the investigation Mary's behavior during the police investigation was notably calm and evasive
she displayed a striking lack of remorse which led investigators to believe she was capable of even further violence the emotional Detachment combined with her knowledge of the crime's details painted a picture of a child with severe psychological issues and the Breakthrough in the case came when Mary's friend Norma eventually confessed to witnessing Mary strangle Brian how and this testimony along with her mounting evidence led to Mary's arrest and the Revelation that an 11-year-old girl was responsible for these brutal killings also sent shot waves through the community and challenged societal perceptions of childhood innocence once again
and Mary Bell's trial would begin December 1968 drawing significant public attention and the court proceedings were unique and challenging giving the defendants young age and the severity of her crimes and throughout the child Mary's demeanor remained very calm and composed a fact that unsettled many observers and raised questions about her mental state and psychiatrists who evaluated Mary during her trial noted that she exhibited Psychopathic Tendencies no [ __ ] and they argued that her troubled upbringing in experiences and abuse had significantly contributed to her violent Behavior which is completely Fair it's like a double-edged sword
there's literally no winning like did she do something absolutely horrendous and awful absolutely and she should be held accountable for that but what her mom did also should be held accountable like she should also be thrown in a dark deep hole and left to rot in my opinion in my opinion but the psychological assessment played a crucial role in the trial's outcome and the Court's decision to convict Mary of manslaughter rather than murder reflected the complex nature of the case it acknowledged the impact of her traumatic upbringing on her actions while still holding her accountable
for the deaths of Martin Brown and Brian how and Mary would be sentenced and detained at her Majesty's pleasure which was like the last case an indeterminate sentence that would allow for regular reviews of her progress and potential for rehabilitation so Mary Bell would serve 12 years in various juvenile detention centers and prisons before being released in 1980 at the age of 23 and her release was met with controversy and public outcry as well in the decision to release her sparked debates about the effectiveness of Rehabilitation for juvenile offenders and the appropriate balance between punishment
and reform very similar to the previous case and upon her release Mary was granted anonymity and given a new identity to protect her from potential retaliation and media scrutiny and this decision was controversial and in the Years following her release Mary Bell had made efforts to live a quiet life under her new identity and she largely stayed out of the public eye though her story has periodically resurfaced in the media and one of the most significant developments in her postrelease life was her decision to become a mother in 1984 she gave birth to a daughter
many questioned whether someone with her history should be allowed to raise a child While others saw it as a sign of Rehabilitation and a capacity for Change and the situation raised complex ethical issues about Redemption Second Chances and long-term consequences of childhood crimes so the story of Mary Bell raised difficult questions about childhood trauma and violence but what happens when such trauma affects not one child but two siblings and that brings us to our next case our final case which is Catherine and Curtis Jones siblings turned Killers the case of Katherine and Curtis Jones would
test the limits of the juvenile justice system and the society's capacity for understanding and forgiveness so Katherine Jones who was 13 at the time and her brother Curtis who was 12 at the time grew up in a very troubled household in brever County Florida their home life was marred by allegations of severe abuse and neglect creating an environment of dysfunction and fear the reports would suggest that the siblings endured physical and seual abuse at the hands of a family member a trauma that would profoundly shape their actions and future Catherine would be the first one
to say something she had run away from her home several times at this point and the second time she did the Florida Department of Health and Rehabilitation Services got involved saying that they could take her away from the home where she was being abused however the family didn't believe the claims she was making and her brother Curtis was the only one who believed her story and that was because the same thing was happening to him you know in the report you know they said there were indicators of reviews and um my brother told me he
believed me and he said I know it's true because it's happened to me too and because the children's please for help and protection reportedly fell on deaf ears they felt trapped and desperate and their father they claimed ignored their allegations of abuse and this perceived betrayal and lack of support from their primary caregiver likely contributed to their growing resentment and anger and their father's girlfriend Sonia Nicole spets became a focal point of their anger and frustration it's possible that in their young minds warped by trauma and fear they saw her as an obstacle to their
father's attention and a symbol of their ongoing neglect so on January 6th 1999 the simmering tensions in the Jones household reached a tragic boiling point Catherine and Curtis driven by complex mix of jealousy resentment and a misguided desire for protection formulated a plan to eliminate spets and their actions on that day would irrevocably alter the course of their lives and shock the nation the siblings obtained access to a 9mm handgun a weapon that would become the instrument of their desperate act and as evening fell they put their plan into motion they knew what was about
to happen but official reports of the event differ slightly from how Catherine would later describe them and in the interview with Catherine in 2009 Katherine States Curtis was in the kitchen while she was sitting at the table and SPS was in the dining room when Curtis only 12 years old opened fire on her first and Catherine fired the last two shots and Spitz was hit by four of the nine shots fired not that the children knew that at the time and Reporting from Tampa Bay 10 on wtsp.com states that Spitz had been doing a 500
piece jigsaw puzzle and the siblings were sat at the table helping her and Curtis would be holding his father's handgun in his lap and amid the shooting SPS had attempted to make a phone call but Catherine would seize it from her before she could taking it back to a different room where it would be Out Of Reach before coming back to deal with the situation that they got themselves into and in the immediate aftermath of the shooting the children attempted to cover up their crime they would drag the body to the bathtub leaving a blood
trail which they tried to clean with bleach and this chilling display of premeditation is kind of Haunting considering their young age and Catherine had even wiped the handgun down to remove fingerprints while Curtis had a mental breakdown as their new reality began to set and their efforts to conceal their actions would prove futile overwhelmed by the gravity of the whole situation Catherine and Curtis fled initially they went to Catherine's best friend's house then to another friend's house and eventually into the woods and they would stay there overnight and their absence raised immediate suspicion and law
enforcement quickly began a search on the following morning police arrested the young fugitives bringing them in for questioning and initially the siblings tried to maintain their fabricated story claiming the shooting was an accident however under the pressure of interrogation their facade completely crumbled and they confess to the plan and murder of spets revealing the full extent of their actions and motivations behind them and according to Catherine both of them claimed they were solely responsible in an attempt to save the other from repercussions and Catherine had told Curtis to let her take the blame but he
did the opposite which is like I I know they murdered somebody but they were also like getting abused and now they're trying to save each other like it's it's just it's all heartbreaking it's heart breaking and the arrest of Catherine and Curtis would obviously shock the community the idea that these children so young could commit such extremely violent acts against one of their parents no less was a travesty and the decision to put these children on trial would make them the youngest individuals in US history to face adult Courts for first-degree murder charges it was
just absolutely unprecedented before this there's an age Matrix on juvenile compact. outlining each State's age at which children can be tried as adults and there's a column age juvenile case can be transferred to adult court and in Florida it says the minimum age is 14 but both the Jones siblings were below that making these untraveled Waters and according to Catherine in an interview with Florida Today prosecutors initially offered her a deal she could go home if she betrayed her brother and testified before him and she refused the deal which it is kind of sweet it
is it's kind of sweet they had each other's backs which is it's it's hard I had told my brother you know if anything happens you know I did it you didn't have anything to do with it which he did the complete opposite and took response it was both of us back and forth and Catherine's attorney Kepler Funk said previous abuse isn't a defense for first-degree murder in Florida quote unquote the only way we could have presented this was if the kids had been in imminent danger and acted in self-defense we felt Kathy was a kid
who still had something to offer in her life and had nothing but bad things going on she had a horrific start to her life and Curtis's attorney Tony Hernandez had hoped for manslaughter charge and was heartbroken during his time with the young boy and Curtis had even asked him if he could bring his Nintendo video game to prison man this this case is like different than the other two the other two were just based off of nothing but and and I'm not like I don't think that the stepmom was actually doing anything to the kids
but they were just taking it out on her they're confused you know it's just it's more childish if you will I guess but still still awful that they did that but ultimately faced with the possibility of a life sentence if convicted at trial Katherine and Curtis accepted a plea deal and they pleaded guilty to second degree murder resulting in a sentence of 18 years in prison followed by a lifetime probation and this outcome while avoiding the potential of a life Behind Bars still meant that the sibl ings would spend their formative teenage years and early
adulthood in the prison system and as the years passed both Katherine and Curtis worked towards Rehabilitation and personal growth within the confines of the prison system and they engaged in educational programs and therapy striving to understand and come to terms with their actions and the circumstances that led them to that and their re-entry into society as adults having spent their adolescence Behind Bars presented unique challenges and opportunities for reflection upon curtis' release he had chosen a path of faith and services there's very little information available about his post prison life but Wikipedia claims he is
an ordained minister and if that's true his journey from convicted murderer to spiritual leader offers a compelling Narrative of redemption and the potential for positive change even in the wake of a terrible action and Katherine Jones Post Release has been marked by a commitment to advocacy and mentorship for youth at risk so while we were in there they helped me um cultivate my G for teaching created a curriculum about who you were in Christ what your self identity what your self wor and we were working with other broken women for them to be healed and
Katherine's efforts to use her story as a cautionary tale and a means of preventing similar tragedies just speaks to her personal growth and desire to make amends and she's very active on Instagram and shares her efforts with anyone who wants to see and she shared that during her incarceration she would actually spend the first 3 years in solitary because she was so young young and they didn't know what to do with a child in an adult prison so they completely isolated her and during her incarceration Catherine also explained personal Milestones that would shape her future
and she married a Navy officer who began writing to her while she was in prison a relationship that offered hope and support as she prepared for a life after release and the two have started a family proving that the connection to the outside world likely played a significant role in her Rehabilitation process and her ability to Envision a constructive future Beyond her criminal past but the case of Catherine and Curtis continues to provoke discussion and debate within the legal and social circles and it serves as a reminder of the complexities involved in Juvenile Justice cases
particularly those involving severe trauma and abuse but this sibling story at least you know ends on a bit more of a positive note if you enjoyed listening to these cases uh I know some of them are rough I guess enjoyed might not be the right word but if you found these interesting maybe give the video a like let me know what other cases you want me to go over down below or any other subject matter conspiracies crime you know anything history I don't know I'll go I'll do anything I I enjoy looking into these things
um go grab some SAR candy at sarah. you can use code Chris for 10% off and yeah until then I'll see you beautiful face in the next video all right bye