Judge won't release any Brown juvenile records

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Associated Press

Judge won't release any Brown juvenile records
| September 9, 2014

CLAYTON, Mo. (AP) — A judge has denied a request to release any juvenile records of an unarmed 18-year-old shot to death last month by police.

It's not known if Michael Brown had a juvenile record. But a St. Louis County family court judge on Tuesday denied the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's request for any. Brown was shot to death Aug. 9 by Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson.

Juvenile records are confidential in Missouri, but under state law, being charged with certain violent crimes removes those privacy protections. Police have said Brown had no adult criminal record.

A juvenile court system lawyer said at a hearing last week that Brown did not face any juvenile charges at the time of his death and never was convicted of a serious felony such as murder or burglary.


Read more: http://www.chron.com/news/us/article/Judge-won-t-release-any-Brown-juvenile-records-5744925.php

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(Short article, no more at link.)

[alcibiades_mystery]

1. Good

There's no exemption to the juvenile confidentiality law here at all.

He's the victim, for Gawd's sake.

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

2. No kidding.

If it's standard practice in the state, certainly the newspaper should have known they were asking for something they weren't going to get.

But now the fact that 'Brown's juvenile record' will be 'hidden' will be used as a further 'smear the victim' meme.

Young black men are always the 'aggressor', even when they're the victim. After all, just because he didn't have any sort of weapon doesn't mean he wasn't 'armed' with 'pavement'. It used to be cops had to at least bother to plant guns on people they'd shot. Nowadays, they probably just have to plant bags of skittles.

[Brigid]

3. Brown's juvenile record, if any, is irrelevant.

We already know he did absolutely nothing to warrant summary execution by cop.

[bigdarryl]

5. They were planning on SMEARING!!! the deceased victim

[PatrickforO]

4. Rightly not

Any juvenile record Brown had is irrelevant to the case at hand.

[theHandpuppet]

6. Why would the newspaper even make such a request?

As you said, any juvenile record isn't relevant to the case.

[Iamthetruth]

7. Depends on your view

Their view is he was not as the media portrayed him to be.

[PatrickforO]

11. I hear you, but

in a court of law, any evidence not germane to the case at hand is not allowed. In this case, the only thing that counts is what happened on the ground.

[davidpdx]

8. I'm glad that they aren't going to be released

[Earth_First]

9. The request by The Dispatch is tabloid journalism at it's worst!

Furthermore, investigate the connection between the individual (s) at The Dispatch request and the court. Find any connection to the defense of Darren Wilson in this request and charge the individuals with attempt to interfere with the investigation.

[malthaussen]

10. As well he should.

There is no compelling reason for those records to be unsealed.

-- Mal