Vicious Attack by a Juvenile

* An 82-year-old woman was sentenced to life imprisonment without possibility of parole last Nov. 29. At 7:15 p.m. while watching the evening news in the privacy of her middle-class condominium in Corona, she was attacked and raped. Her assailant was a 13-year-old who was later apprehended after stealing a skateboard in a nearby neighborhood. After confessing to the crime, he was asked by the investigator why he did such a despicable thing. His answer, “I was angry.”

I’m angry. Damned angry. I’m a 55-year-old businessman. The 82-year-old woman is my mother. Her life sentence is to be confined in her apartment behind security doors with all windows shut, and an alarm system that monitors any intrusion. Part of her sentence is sleepless nights. Recurring nightmares have assured that a good night’s sleep will never be afforded her again. Her short journeys to the market are no longer permitted. Her attacker stalked her on her way home from grocery shopping. She is, however, now allowed weekly visits to her rape counselor.

Yes, I’m angry. Because of the age of the assailant, he cannot be tried as an adult. He confessed to breaking and entering, assault with a deadly weapon, aggravated assault, burglary, two counts of oral copulation, forcible rape, et al. The case is handled in juvenile court. The maximum sentence is nine years. The court could release him to the custody of his parents because he too is a first-timer.

THOMAS P. CAHILL

Riverside