Homegrown

Do you ever think about something you haven't thought of in years and google it? I did that last week . . .

In the late 90's we lived in Magnolia, Arkansas. Now you might think that's the armpit of America and there was a time when I'd say you're probably right.

When I learned we were moving to Magnolia, I asked Jim to go ahead and move, find a house and I'd make my first visit on moving day. And that's pretty much what happened.

Magnolia has a population of 11,000 and most everybody living there was born there and has no intention of leaving. It has a little college, but not too much more.

Jim was fortunate enough, if you will, to find a couple getting a divorce who wanted to sell their house quickly and we felt like we got a bargain. It had 8 ft ceilings, 7 different wallpapers and 20 yr old rust carpet, but it's the only house we've ever lived in with an in-ground pool and we were pretty excited about that.

Turns out, it was one of the best moves and 3 years we've spent anywhere. Okay, we've liked everywhere we've lived and Magnolia is no exception. Jim enjoyed his work, kayaked and fished. The kids made friends and did well in school. I became an aerobics instructor and worked part-time for a real estate office. Life was good.

At this real estate office is where this story really begins. My job was to answer the phone, make appointments for house showings, and keep the website updated. Besides me, there were 3 realtors and a handy man named Tommy. Tommy had gone to high school with the broker and had always worked for him in some capacity since then. He was just a good old guy who would dig a ditch, change your car battery or pick the kids up at school. Whatever was needed.

Early one morning, I think is was a Saturday, one of the realtors called me and said "Tommy's daughter has been raped and murdered." That's all she knew.

Tommy and his wife had one child and she was 15 years old.

Well, it turned out to be true . . . mostly. She had not been raped, but she had been murdered and it was brutal. This 15 year old girl was pregnant and the boyfriend, who came from a strict and devout family, decided the best - no, the only thing to do was to kill her.

He planned it for weeks, along with his best friend. They even dug a shallow grave together. When the designated day came, he fooled her into thinking they were going for an abortion. She left a note for her parents "not to worry". They drove to an isolated area where he bludgeoned her to death with a pipe and to ensure she was definitely dead, ran over her head with his car.

Bragging to his friends, not more than a few hours later, he was in custody. He was 16 years old. He plead guilty to all of it and received life without parole. And so did his 17 year old friend/accomplice. Life without parole.

The newspaper interviewed the local sheriff at the time of the incident and he alleged that "The boy's stringent religious upbringing and his desire to become a preacher may have pushed him over the edge. A pregnancy would have been the equivalent of 'wearing the scarlet letter."

I simply cannot wrap my head around the fact that these boys thought murder was somehow better than pregnancy and/or an abortion. I will never understand what kind of upbringing would manifest itself into this twisted mentality.

But it did. He never denied this explanation.

Every once in a while I think about all of them. All these years those boys have been in prison. And the next time I think about them, they will still be right there in prison.

And they should be. But what a waste. In a moment of fear, stupidity, immaturity . . . three people lost their lives.

Mostly I thought about Tommy and his wife who have mourned the loss of their only child for 11 years. Life as they knew it ended that day. And the next time I think about them, they will still be mourning that loss.

Strangely enough, my Google search produced a newspaper article from Magnolia, dated last week too. A hearing was held to consider the release of the second boy involved - the "friend" of the boy who actually committed the murder.

Apparently the murderer is attempting to recant his testimony to say his "friend" didn't help him quite as much as he testified to. Cited is a 2010 case in Florida. The Supreme Court ruled if an accomplice was a juvenile at the time of the crime, he should have the possibility for parole.

I can never decide how I feel about things like this. I do believe he is as guilty as the murderer because he helped, but mostly because he knew and could have stopped it. At the same time, he was just a kid . . . and at the same time, Tommy's daughter is dead.

I wonder how Tommy feels about this.

I'm sure I'll think of them again one day and probably google it.