16 Year Old Girl Sentenced to Life Without Parole for Killing Pimp

[Jacob Black]

Here is the link.. There is not a whole lot of information on the story that I could find online, but here is the video. Please watch.

http://www.youthlaw.org/press_room/video_sarah_kruzan_sentenced_to_life_without_parol e_at_age_16/

[Jacob Black]

This story makes me.. I don't know. Absolutely horrified. I think it's an interesting tie in to when we were discussing the Manson murders. It's very disconcerting to me that the members of "the family" get parole hearings, have the chance to be free, and this SIXTEEN year old girl will never have that option.

This to me sends a message to our youth, that no matter what you do, no matter how hard you work, you can never earn your freedom. This story is absolutely heartbreaking to me, and I don't see how this could even possibly be a sentence, regardless of how bad the murder was, if it was premeditated, we are dealing with a sixteen year old!

What are your thoughts?

[Vilandra]

When you're 16, you know that killing someone is wrong and against the law. It's horrible what happened to this girl, but even kids need to know that the rules apply to them too. In this case, it wasn't self-defense, it wasn't a "crime of passion". She thought it out and killed the guy, and now she's in prison. Sucks for her, but that's how it is.

[Jacob Black]

But I feel like we're not looking at the gravity of the situation. I think it's more than just saying "she killed somebody, too bad" because people kill other people all the time.

This girl was 16 and was groomed to be a prostitute and was a victim of sexual abuse for years. I don't know I think it sends a mixed message.. I don't know if I was sixteen and I had been through what she had been and somebody sentenced me to life without the possibility of parole for killing a man who terrorized me, I would feel like the law was telling me that it was okay for him to do what he did to me.

I'm not saying that's logical, but I think there was no way I would have been able to rationalize that punishment at sixteen, especially had I been through the same life. Obviously she knew it was wrong to kill somebody, everybody knows that.. I wish I knew more of the details, because I feel like even if it was planned out, how could that not have been for anything more than her survival? I'm not saying it's right, and i'm not saying that she doesn't deserve punishment but there are horrible HORRIBLE people who have gotten away with so much worse with much harsher of a sentence, SERIAL killers who have the option of parole.

In my own "step family" there is a distant cousin who brutally shot his mother and father in the head before skipping town.. no remorse, not mentally unstable, shot and killed them because he was mad at them. He was 18 and got life in prison but he has the option of parole. I know every case is different, I am just wondering how a judge could look at a 16 year old and never think for a moment that this person could be rehabilitated, or learn her lesson even after I don't know.. 25 to life? At least have some kind of option of parole.. It also doesn't seem much of a use to me to have somebody taking up space in an already overcrowded prison system who could potentially be there for 75 years.. I mean LIFE is already a harsh sentence, but most of the people who DO serve life in prison terms serve what.. 40-50 years? She could potentially serve.. 25 on top of that.. I feel like it's MORE than Life.. and what the hell is the point of Life... plus 4 years? Is there an actual NUMBER value to a Life sentence?

I don't know, this whole story just generally unsettles me and makes my faith waiver in the justice system.

[Vilandra]

See, I would think differently (and I think a judge would have too) if the girl had killed him because he was attacking her etc. But she actually planned out his death. If she could do that, she could go to the police about his abuse.

As for your second point - what's the difference really between a 16 year old and a 20 year old getting life without parole? Personally, I'd like to know more details of the murder, because I feel there's got to be something there if the judge took away POP.

[Jacob Black]

Yeah, I am trying to find out more info but I can't.. it's frustrating me lol.

I don't know though, I would like to think I was better at my judgement and decision making at 20 rather than 16. If a 16 year old.. I don't know stole something, I feel like I would be less mad at a 16 year old rather than a 20 year old. It's something I might even expect from a 16 year old kid rather than a 20 year old adult. I mean one is a sophomore/junior in highschool and the other is a sophomore/junior in college.

I see what your saying, that it doesn't matter WHAT age you are if you murder someone, and I guess if I read a story about a 90 year old woman planning and carrying out the murder of her caretaker, I would feel less sympathy.. Maybe we DO give kids too much leeway...

[Vilandra]

It's not like every underage murderer gets life without parole, so if the circumstances are there to deserve that...

[captain peroxide]

Murder is murder, and this girl committed murder. She thought about what her actions were going to be, then carried out those actions. She could have gone to the police but she didn't, prefering to take the law into her own hands.

It is sad that she went through so much, and now will go through more, but the judge must have felt it was the right decision.

The scum that inflicted that life apon her got off easy.
She has to live with her crime.

[Black King]

Yeah i'm sorry but this was premeditated murder while she may have felt trapped she carried out the murder of another person that she had planned out.

[Angels baby101]

I agree you know Murder is Murder, I could see if it was self defense or something like that but it was premeditated. It sucks to be her but she's gotta pay the price. I understand she probley wanted out but theres other easier ways to get out of it i'm sure other than killing the guy.