A 13-year-old California boy who was 10 when he killed his neo-Nazi father will spend at least the next seven years in a state juvenile facility. Judge Jean R. Leonard said the maximum the boy can serve would be until he is 23, but he will be eligible for parole in seven years. The decision came after prosecutors and defense attorneys argued for months about the best placement to assure his safety and rehabilitation.
His attorneys say the boy was severely abused and has serious emotional and learning disabilities from a brutal and twisted childhood. The Riverside County boy shot Jeffrey Hall, 32, at point-blank range as he slept on a sofa in their home on May 1, 2011, after a night of drinking. The boy told police he was afraid he would have to choose between living with his father or stepmother if they divorced. (More shooting stories.)