One mama got her son back today

One mama got her son back today. It just wasn't me.


The man that killed our son was released from prison today. He served 10 1/2 months of a 13 month sentence. I have so many thoughts in my head today.  I don't know that I could ever fully put them into words, but I'll try.


Our justice system is so flawed. Louisiana's laws don't make sense to me. Manslaughter's sentence range is 0-40. Armed robbery, 10-99. Carjacking, 2-20 without a gun. Purse snatching, 2-20. That means there is no reason you can be sentenced to less than 10 years for robbing someone and brandishing a gun. Yet, you can shoot and kill them and get no prison time. I think mandatory minimums send a clear moral statement about which crimes society considers most serious. Does anyone value life anymore? 

Then we have the comments on social media. So many opinions, so few facts. Again, so many people that can come up with excuses why it is justified to take the life of a living, breathing, deeply loved and adored teenager, with so little consequence. It is deeply disturbing to witness the vile level of disrespect and disregard for human life in our community.

The man that murdered Austin is now 22 years old. He was 18 at the time. His defense included the "teen brain" theory, stating that male brains under 25 years of age are not fully developed and can lead to irrational, impulsive behavior. So if he behaves in a criminally violent manner (oops, sorry, I should have said impulsively) in the next 2 years, will the same excuse hold? And I suppose we shouldn't prosecute any criminal behavior of those under 25 years old for the same reason. Now there's a solution to prison overcrowding.  

Tuesday night Austin's chair at graduation will be empty. There is no tassel, no senior trip, no college applications, no choosing a college roommate. I could go on, of course, with the "no mores." It should be enough to say no more life-- HE'S DEAD from a hollow point bullet through his neck-- and every citizen should be outraged. His life was extinguished by someone who had no conscience and the Judge essentially excused his behavior. Shame on you, Judge.

But one mama got her son back today.