In what can be described as an incredibly disturbing crime, this young teen girl explained to the judge that she had held a boy at knifepoint and forced him to have sex with a dog, all while recording on video. But what’s most shocking is what the judge decided on this case.
In the case of 17-year-old Lauren Bush, who pleaded guilty to charges of distributing an obscene video and second-degree assault after tormenting an autistic boy, one must question whether justice was served.
This Maryland high school student had captured the abuse on her cell phone with the help of a 15-year-old friend, yet still only received a paltry sentence for her heinous crimes.
The details of this tragic case are appalling; three teens were considered friends yet together they beat up Michael and forced him into a partially frozen pond, refusing to help him when he fell in the water, and then tried to run him over with a car according to police reports. Not only that, but they also recorded it all on their cell phones.
One particularly disturbing clip showed Michael “being assaulted in [his] own house with one of [his] kitchen knives” as his father described it during court proceedings.
Even more outrageous than the crime itself is how little justice was served by Judge David Densford’s decision to move Lauren’s case from adult court down to juvenile court, where she faced up to 80 years in prison but instead received just four years in a juvenile facility before being released at age 21. Unsurprisingly Michael’s family has expressed outrage at this decision given how easily Lauren tortured their son without remorse or empathy for her actions—all while recording them on camera.
Her attorney Brian Thompson believes “she should have been treated as a juvenile from Day One,” however given what we know about Lauren’s past trauma as well as multiple concussions stemming from cheerleading activities it looks like Judge Densford took these factors into account when making his ruling.
It doesn’t matter which side you fall on – there are no winners here; three teenagers have had their lives irrevocably changed because of this tragedy and no amount of jail time will be able unlock innocence lost forever due to Lauren’s actions.
In conclusion we must ask ourselves if justice truly prevailed in this situation or if perhaps leniency was granted too easily?
