Suffer the Little Children

Innocent or guilty? How to decide the fate of a child charged with murder? Angelo Cavelli has snapped. In a fit of rage, the boy murdered Faith Griffin, the media specialist at his school-of this, there is no doubt. Was it deliberate? Should he be charged as an adult? What of the suffering of the other victims-Faith's husband, Faith's coworkers, Faith's students? What has pushed a child so young to become so violent? Psychologist, Allyson Freemont and Detective Ernie Blackwell work to piece together the sad aspects of this boy's life. Their impatience mounts when they realize signs of problems have been denied or minimized for years by family members. Frustration grows as they work through the bureaucracy of three systems-education, mental health and law enforcement-and anger with the knowledge that all have failed to help this child. Their emotions are compromised when the boy they are trying to help refuses to help himself as he continues down a path of self-destruction. Charged with murder, Angelo Cavelli may be tried as an adult and spend the rest of his life in prison.