News Police Arrest Third Teen in Tuba Man Case
posted by on November 6 at 17:04 PM
Seattle Police have arrested a 15-year-old boy believed to be involved in the death of 53-year-old Edward McMichael, better known as the Tuba Man.
On October 25th, McMichael was beaten and robbed on 5th and Mercer. He died at his home two weeks later from injuries sustained in the attack.
Police have already arrested two other teenagers for their involvement in the attack.
I have a 14 year old. I can't imagine my kid or anyone that age ganging up to kill someone like that. So awful...
If you read the news, it's actually a very common occurrence for teens to either beat up "bums" or to go to a homeless camp and kill someone.
I see plenty of 15 year olds in my neighborhood who look like they'd rather kill you than walk around you on the sidewalk. You also wouldn't believe they were just 15 as they are often over 6 ft tall. These are not children but criminals and when they continually get just a slap on the wrist for all their previous crimes, why shouldn't they feel they can get away with murder? My guess is they'll spend a few years in juvie hall, then get out at 18 and have everything erased from their record. Then, of course, they'll just kill someone else. This is a horrible crime and they should spend the rest of their crummy little lives in jail.
I was in a car that hit a bum in college. Yeah, we kept going.
@2, you're even stupider and wronger than Will in Seattle. That's quite an achievement. "Common" my ass.
It looks like there's going to be a public wake for Tuba Man on Wednesday.
Hmmm, I know the prevailing opinion around here is that the death penalty is wrong, but ass clowns like this make human euthanasia seem so very, very attractive. We put vicious animals down, why are we so squeamish about putting vicious people who act like animals down? If a group of pit bulls had viciously attacked and killed this poor old man, we'd be screaming for them and their owners (mumsies and daddies) to be boiled in oil and fricasseed. Nobody would suggest they be rehabilitated.
What about pit bull owners? Do you find this somewhat hypocritical?
@ 7 - pretty much every time there's a post about a murder on the Slog, the prevailing opinion is in favor of the death penalty.
I am not in favor of the death penalty; what I am in favor of, however, is chaining these kids to a ring in the sidewalk and making them play the tuba outside every sports event in Seattle for a significant period of the rest of their lives.
@4: Do you know if he was able to earn a degree afterward?
Death penalty? What would Jack Bauer do?
Fucking Nigggggggggerrrs.
You can't tell me this wasn't a hate crime. Black on white crime needs to fucking stop. Send their choclate asses to walla walla for the rest of their pointless lives.
I remember when Ecce Homo would come in comments to call everyone a racist. Now, a new model!
@13... yet this is the THIRD (James Parlone being the 2nd, can't remember the name of the 1st)attack by a group of young AA males of elderly people which led to their death in Seattle this year. I ask you, if there was 3 murders this year in which groups of yaumake wearing teenagers barbarically killed 3 AA senior citizens. You are telling me that civil rights leaders and black media outlets wouldn't be outraged and pointing out what community them came from???? Honestly! When black people point out that someone who does an injustice (or simply a perceived one) is white, asian, or jewish they are civil rights leaders. When it is the other way you are a racist. Just the truth.
why was tuba man dying at home of a brain hemorrhage 2 weeks after being kicked in the head? where was the follow up care?
the death penalty is not appropriate when there was a lack of INTENT to kill. so let it go, bigots.
Will these kids be tried as adults? Seems like if you're ready to do a big grown up crime like beating a man to death, you're ready for the big grown up time.
I hadn't realized that prior to the attack on Tubaman that these "kids" also beat and robbed a couple people at a bus stop.
These are serial criminals and need to do get more than three hots and a cot until they are 18.
@15. Give me a break, calling people bigots anytime someone speaks the truth- that the majority of murders against elderly people in this city have been by young black men- is tired. There is a pattern here and I'm not willing to ignore it just cause some people don't feel comfortable with addressing hate crimes that are comitted by young black men in the same way as if they were hate crimes committed against young black men.
Intent to kill is irrelevent- young people shouldn't kick the shit out of older people and if doing so causes death the book should be thrown at them. Their abuse caused his death and they should pay dearly for the valueable life they stole.
There is no doubt race played a role in this atrocity. But A lot of things need to be considered when looking at a crime like this. For one, were these kid's parents in a place to give them the support they need to be caring and compassionate people? Or does racism work in such a way that people have to work ridiculous hours to pay the rent instead of being home with the kids? How may black folks have ben systemically beat and killed (literally and figuratively) in America this year? Do we know these 5 kids? Where could they have learned to be so violent? Could it be that we are at war? Could it be the sometime brutality of the Police Dept? That's not the way well-loved and taken care of people act. I hate that this happened to McMichael. I really liked that guy. But locking people up, killing them as punishment, throwing the book at them, etc, sure doesn't seem to be making things any better in the world. Maybe we need to think of something new, before the next elderly person goes down. How do we as a community/society address this?
These kids may or may not be tried as adults. There will be a hearing on this issue before to determine their most immediate fate. In terms of punishment, I too agree that we should look at all the factors in this case, including not only the world in which we now live, but the possible negligence of the hospital and physicians involved in treating Mr.McMichael. I do not take lightly that he would have never been injured if it weren't for the actions of some of these boys, but it sounds as if he were home for several days before he died. Does their exist a possibility that the beloved Tuba man could have been saved but for the hospital's failures. We simply don't know yet. Are these boys liable for their initial actions and brutality? Absolutely. But do they deserve to be found guilty of murder? Did they intend to kill this man? Did he die of natural causes? Was there an intervening cause? Did all of the boys participate? Are any of them cooperating? These are questions that need to be answered before we just call them rubbish and ask for them to burn in hell. Whatever the answers, these boys will not simply be slapped on the wrist; whether tried as adults or tried as juveniles. And they most certainly will never be able to "erase" this from their record or even seal its' existence. This is something that will follow them for the rest of their lives. What they do with that remains to be seen.
Goodspeed Tuba man. May you continue to hear the music...
These kids may or may not be tried as adults. There will be a hearing on this issue before to determine their most immediate fate. In terms of punishment, I too agree that we should look at all the factors in this case, including not only the world in which we now live, but the possible negligence of the hospital and physicians involved in treating Mr.McMichael. I do not take lightly that he would have never been injured if it weren't for the actions of some of these boys, but it sounds as if he were home for several days before he died. Does their exist a possibility that the beloved Tuba man could have been saved but for the hospital's failures. We simply don't know yet. Are these boys liable for their initial actions and brutality? Absolutely. But do they deserve to be found guilty of murder? Did they intend to kill this man? Did he die of natural causes? Was there an intervening cause? Did all of the boys participate? Are any of them cooperating? These are questions that need to be answered before we just call them rubbish and ask for them to burn in hell. Whatever the answers, these boys will not simply be slapped on the wrist; whether tried as adults or tried as juveniles. And they most certainly will never be able to "erase" this from their record or even seal its' existence. This is something that will follow them for the rest of their lives. What they do with that remains to be seen.
Goodspeed Tuba man. May you continue to hear the music...
These kids may or may not be tried as adults. There will likely be a hearing on this issue to determine their most immediate fate. In terms of punishment, I too agree that we should look at all the factors in this case, including not only the world in which we now live, but the possible negligence of the hospital and physicians involved in treating Mr.McMichael. I do not take lightly that he would have never been injured if it weren't for the actions of some of these boys, but it sounds as if he were home for several days before he died. Does their exist a possibility that the beloved Tuba man could have been saved but for the hospital's failures. We simply don't know yet. Are these boys liable for their initial actions and brutality? Absolutely. But do they deserve to be found guilty of murder? Did they intend to kill this man? Did he die of natural causes? Was there an intervening cause? Did all of the boys participate? Are any of them cooperating? These are questions that need to be answered before we just call them rubbish and ask for them to burn in hell. Whatever the answers, these boys will not simply be slapped on the wrist; whether tried as adults or tried as juveniles. And they most certainly will never be able to "erase" this from their record or even seal its' existence. This is something that will follow them for the rest of their lives. What they do with that remains to be seen.
Goodspeed Tuba man. May you continue to hear the music...
Enough with all this liberal hand-wringing and psychologizing (post #19). These kids, what ever color they are, should be tried as adults for murder. If one of them hit this guy and he fell to the ground and hit his head, instead of one of the kids calling 911, they all ganged up on him and kicked him, that's MURDER, whether he died at the scene or two weeks later. They are all guilty. Someone needs to answer for this senseless beating, and they need to be tried as adults. If the kids were black or asian, and the guy who died is white, this is definitely a hate crime and needs to be treated as such. The law is the law.