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Ten Year Old Son Shoots Father in the Back

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  • 11-09-2004, 02:22 AM
    parentalalienation
    Ten Year Old Son Shoots Father in the Back
    Hi all.

    Sit back and relax, this gets complicated. :roll:

    Have you heard about the Lohstroh case in Texas? A severe case of Parental Alienation Syndrome caused a boy to unload a .40 caliber revolver into his father's back. Now the 10 year old boy is on trial for his father's murder and is facing a possible sentence of 48 years. :shock:

    Parental Alienation Syndrome usually occurs in the context of divorce when one alienating parent, out of anger hatred and rage, tries to turn the children against the other target parent. The children are put in a position where in order to maintain the love and support relationship with one parent they must act out against the other parent. The once healthy bond between the child and the target parent is successfully destroyed out of the bitterness of the alienating parent. It is a very sad turn of events, and something that was without a doubt a determining factor in the murder of Dr. Lohstroh.

    A brief summary of the case is this ... The mother and father had been through a very contentious divorce in which accusations of sexual abuse had been filed against the father. These charges were proven false by two different police investigations and two lie detector tests. As a result of these false allegations the mother was made to settle the case out of court. The father was awarded the couple's home and given 50/50 parenting time with their two children, 8 and 10 years old. Many suspicious things led up to the shooting, most of all the mother putting the child on Prozac without notifying the father. When the father came to pick up the children from the mother's house the older boy came out with a gun in his backpack, climbed into the back seat of the car and fired three rounds through the seat striking his father. When he went back into the house his mother sent him back to his father's car where he unloaded the rest of the bullets and returned to the house. The mother took the gun away from the boy and stayed inside until police arrived. The mother was a registered nurse yet she did not render aid to the father as he sat dying in her front yard. :shock:

    The father's parents came to town for their son's funeral and ended up with custody of the two boys. They have temporary custody and are living in the father's home now.

    Yes, there is a question coming ...

    The mother went out and hired an attorney for her son the next morning. The first thing the attorney said is that the boy shot his father because of sexual abuse years earlier. He made no mention of PAS, and when a forensic psychiatrist mentioned the possibility he dismissed it. Everyone who knows this couple is convinced that the mother had something to do with it, even her own mother and brother.

    The grandparents have asked for substitution of counsel because they fear the present attorney, Chris Tritico, is not looking at all the possibilities and is not keeping them informed about the case. He speaks with the boys mother every day, but as far as we know has not once initiated a call with the grandparents who have custody. When the grandparents asked for substitution their motion was denied. It is on appeal right now.

    How can the court system think keeping the lawyer on the case that the mother, who is likely involved with the murder, hired? Isn't that a conflict of interest? Some people have said juvinile court is different, but that seems like common sense to me. What's the legal opinion on that? :?

    Also, the mother was still listed on the father's life insurance. He hadn't changed it since their divorce. Does this mean that she will get a million dollars? Isn't that motive right there? :twisted:

    Thanks, sorry so long.
  • 11-09-2004, 08:45 AM
    Anonymous
    Attorney Representing Child
    First, regardless of who pays the bill, the attorney is representing the child, not the mother. It is difficult to say from your comments whether the attorney should be pursuing a "blame mom" defense, but apparently the judge is satisfied (at least so far) with the work the attorney is doing.

    Second, in relation to the life insurance, if the insurance company believes that mom played a role in the killing, it will likely challenge her ability to receive any payment under the policy. The policy might be a motive, if the mother was aware that the policy existed and that the beneficiary had not been changed.
  • 01-01-2005, 07:51 PM
    pazion
    I'm just curious...has anything further happened in this case?
  • 01-24-2005, 09:28 AM
    parentalalienation
    No new information.

    Depositions are being taken in the custody case. There is a hearing scheduled for some time in February.

    The motion for substitution went to the supreme court, but was ultimately denied. The case is sceduled for another hearing next week, but no one is saying much right now.

    I heard the mom granted an interview to Dateline which violated the gag order. I'm not sure if anyone is going to pursue charges.

    That's about all I know.
  • 09-26-2010, 01:07 AM
    holyfire
    Re: 10 year old son shoots father in the back
    Imagine, having a son, age 10...who makes kids cringe with fright when walking through the classroom or church class...or just walking down the street...taking a butcher Knife over top of you & your husband ready to slash you. Taking pictures of you with your back turned & also making stabbing gestures while your back is turned. Or just imagine a child who likes to finish your sentences for you and everybody else and hit and tell off everyone around you...or hitting you while you are sleeping? Tell me? Or peeing on the floor and this child was only 8 steps away from the bathroom many times, peeing the bed...telling neighbors he will break into their homes. Stealing, lying and hurting and killing animals because "It's Fun"! Or how about a child telling you off as a parent...I am going to kill you. or telling others that he/she will kill their parents or anyone else they know. Having alarms on your doors and locking yourself in your own bedroom because you cannot lock a child in their room...huh?..because of all they do...or throwing away the food you eat, because they say it is no good...and they keep the food they only want?...or how about a child hitting a pregnant mother in the belly...wishing the baby to be dead...or drawing pictures on what they'll do to their baby brother/sister after they are born and you as a parent had to for the safety of that newborn give it up for adoption. because they adopt out quicker and the older child you are force to keep because there is no help and there is no place to put them in the system...or how about a child constantly fighting you and you get harmed and it's ok for that child to do that...because there is no facility to place an unruly child at because they are too young?...Because the laws only cover Children 12 or over to be placed...Too many people in the system drag their feet to help parents, the system makes it hard for parents to rightfully correct their child...that child gets sent to school and becomes a bully because of other kids who have bad parents. you know yourself that Bad TV, Bad Video Games and Bad Kids provoke others kids...and when a decent parent allows their child to go to school...because it is the law...the parent gets blamed for what that child has done wrong??????? And how about a child who takes an alternator to an animal and bashes its head in and goes to his/her grandmother and bashes hers too?

    Tell me...what is right from wrong about everything and anything pertaining to a "child" who acts like an adult that kills? Sorry, but every question I asked on here is real...because my husband & I had to live with it everyday....we cried out for help...we got temporary help from a place for kids on a 7 day stay to help with Mental Problems.

    Imagine your child writing down he wanted to kill you because he didn't feel like doing his chores or eating what was prepared for him/her for supper...Note this: These types of children need taken out of the home and Put into Prison just the same as an adult...if they want to commit
    murder, threaten to kill or harm others. They need put away! And that is final...No parent or organization should have to keep a child who is unruly, deceptive, thieves, lies, cheats, threatens, beats and knives things or themselves, has no love or remorse for what they did wrong...only pity upon themselves...not for what they just lost in their life. You may ask a question...there has to be a reason for a child to murder their parents or beat them or injure them...but ask this to yourself...If you lived in my shoes and knew there was nothing that could never ever change your child...what would you do? Get rid of him/her or die for that child? That is my final answer! Take it from a mother& father who are going through Purgatory with their child!
  • 09-26-2010, 01:58 AM
    Dogmatique
    Re: 10 year old son shoots father in the back
    (This thread is older than my kid....)
  • 09-26-2010, 07:32 AM
    cyjeff
    Re: 10 year old son shoots father in the back
    You dug up a 6 year old thread to comment upon a syndrome that has been completely disavowed?

    I recommend you do a little more research.

    Since the original post, Richard Gardner, the pedophile that brought this "syndrome" out without bothering to do any research whatsoever, has committed suicide due to the pressure of his "research" being completely proven false.

    He made his living testifying...and you should really read through his stuff.

    Let me put it this way... if Gardner was still alive and got within 50 feet of my children, the day would get very interesting.
  • 09-26-2010, 06:13 PM
    Mr. Knowitall
    Re: 10 year old son shoots father in the back
    It sounds more like they're advancing a "devil's spawn" philosophy under which parents bear no responsibility when their kids turn out to be homicidal. It's safe to say, though, that when kids are as overtly threatening and potentially homicidal as holyfire expresses by the age of ten, you're talking about profound mental illness, whether or not bad parenting is involved - and my guess is that bad parenting will usually be involved.
  • 09-26-2010, 06:32 PM
    cyjeff
    Re: 10 year old son shoots father in the back
    Quote:

    Quoting Mr. Knowitall
    View Post
    It sounds more like they're advancing a "devil's spawn" philosophy under which parents bear no responsibility when their kids turn out to be homicidal. It's safe to say, though, that when kids are as overtly threatening and potentially homicidal as holyfire expresses by the age of ten, you're talking about profound mental illness, whether or not bad parenting is involved - and my guess is that bad parenting will usually be involved.

    Well, unless Texas started allowing 10 year olds to purchase handguns, SOMEBODY dropped the ball, here.
  • 09-27-2010, 02:31 PM
    camper
    Re: Ten Year Old Son Shoots Father in the Back
    How did the child get possession of the gun and who showed him how to load it? If it is the mother's weapon and the child says the mother asked him to do it, then the mom would be an accessory to murder.
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