Creston-Kenilworth Neighborhood Association

Dear world;

Just an interesting note. Perhaps some of you remember when the 90+ year old man shot and killed his SLEEPING adopted daughter in their home on Cora St in January 2009. He also shot his adopted son in the chest. The son survived. John Myers, the shooter was eventually found not to be of sound enough mind to aid in his own defense, and therefore found not guilty. He was remanded to a hospital to a judge until such time as he became mentally competant again. Well, it appears he has miraculously become fully lucid again and has moved back in to the site of the murders on Cora Street. That's right; 14 months after committing a grisley murder, John Myers has managed a get-out-of-murder-free card because of an absolute failure in the legal system. I feel it is important for the neighborhood to be aware of this presence in our community. Hopefully there will be no further incident, but who knows?

I, for one, appreciate your concern over this situation, but a few things about this posting bother me.

1. I found it posted on the Roseway Business Neighbors website, not as a concern for friends and neighbors of the Woodstock, or Kenilworth Neighborhoods or other SE Community Concern.

2. John Myers is described as diagnosed with dementia. This is not something that just goes away, in someone at 93 yrs. of age.

3. It is my understanding from the article I read that this was Mr. Myers home, the SE Cora Address. Where would you have him go?

What is the most just solution for a 93 yr. old man with dementia, to take up space in a mental facility at a time when space and services, (for those with a chance for recovery),  are critically low and resources in our criminal justice and penal system are more scarce, or to put him on-watch in a home that neither the city or county must pay for. What is the likelyhood of this persona re-offending. That, too, is a consideration, not simply punishment, when considering what to do with an offender.

As writer of this post, you seem not to want merely advise and caution neighbors, but to punish this offender, despite the fact that as a 93 yr.old, "frail" man with dementia, the threat of reoffending and recivitism is slim to none. Not only that, but to punish this individual, with this condition, seems fruitless, as his ability the comprehend the reason for it is limited, as may well be his memory of the even and ability to process.

City, County AND Neighborhood resources could better be spent elsewhere, don't you think? I, personally, will loose no sleep knowing this offender is on the loose. I think Woodstock/Creston-Kenilworth neighborhoods are safe from this maurader, as well as Roseway.

 If he has truly regained his 'competentcy' then he should commit harakiri upon remembering his acts.  

        "Why is it, when you kill a man in the heat of battle it is called heroic, yet if you kill him in the heat of passion, it's called murder."  And if you kill your adopted children sleeping in their beds it's called dementia.

   Plenty of old folks out there with dementia who own guns NOT killing their families.

"Plenty of old folks out there with dementia who own guns NOT killing their families," Is that suppose to mean that YOU REALLY BELIEVE that people with dementia have guns readily accessible?When someone is diagnosed with dementia and is losing control of their abilities to concentrate, remember, engage with others and function with relative normality, one of the first things doctors, case managers, family and educated caretakers do is remove those things with which the person can hurt themselves or others.

We do not know the backstory in this case, whether or not this elderly man suffered any abuse at the hands of these family caretakers or not. There have been cases where women in domesticly violent relationships killed their significant other while that person was sleeping to escape brutal situations and retrobution as illustrated in the Farah Fawcett, fact-based Made for TV movie, "The Burning Bed." Abused individual often suffer from PTSD as well as depression, both of which are significant medical conditions in their own right. 

Marines and Soldiers in Iraq have killed innocent civilians "in the heat of passion" and have been held accountable. They are labeled murderers, not heroes.                                       It is quite easy to form an opinion when your experience does not include working with those who have mental health issues.  This  is why we have a justice system in place that takes into consideration motive, expert testimony, whether the act was premeditated or self-defense, and whether or not the accused is capable of distiguishing right from wrong. It is why there is a jury process, for when accused, we are ALL innocent until proven otherwise. Apparently, the judge and jury agreed that this individual should not be held or could not be held accountable for these crimes. I'm sorry that you do not agree, but that is how our system works and will continue until something better comes along. Since it has served this country for more than a couple centuries, I guess that may be awhile.   As Christ is known for saying, Let he who is without sin, throw the first stone."