Twenty-first century crime and punishment: the murder of Christopher Lane
Through no fault of his own, aspiring baseball player Christopher Lane of Australia was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
“The wrong place” was jogging on a street in Duncan, Oklahoma. The wrong time was when a trio of teens with random murder in their hearts happened to spy him and, deciding he would make a good target, shot him in the back and killed him.
The Lane murder is being used in a number of ways. The press is covering it because of the sensationalistic aspects: the perps were 15, 16, and 17, and the killing was the very definition of “senseless.” One of the killers, the 17-year-old Michael Dewayne Jones, said the victim had been chosen randomly and the motive was boredom.
And of course it goes almost without saying that anti-gun pundits are jumping on the bandwagon of more background checks, despite the fact that there is no indication whatsoever that a tightening of such laws would have had any effect on the ability of these teens to obtain a gun and commit the crime.
There are racial aspects as well. The victim was white. Two of the perps were black (James Francis Edwards Jr., 15, and Chancey Allen Luna, 16) and have been charged with first degree murder. But one appears from photos to be white and was charged with lesser offenses (“Michael Dewayne Jones, 17…was charged with using a vehicle in the discharge of a weapon and with accessory to first-degree murder after the fact”). I write “appears to be white” because I have yet to find a newspaper that discusses the issue and actually identifies Jones in a manner that would tell us his racial or ethnic background. For that matter, one of the black perps appears, from the evidence of the photos in this article, to have a biological mother who is white.
Why do we care? Well, the connection between race and crime has certainly been an issue lately, hasn’t it? Neither our president nor Al Sharpton has decided to weigh in on this one yet, but others have certainly used it to make various points about race and crime. And because of the interracial aspects, and because the stated motive (or lack thereof) is so chilling—and do we take the perp’s word for it that it was actually boredom?—a racial motive is certainly a good possibility as well.
Almost everything about the true motive is speculation at this point, but I’ll add mine. This appears to have been a crime of opportunity; the fact that the victim was white was probably far from a drawback in the eyes of the perpetrators, but there’s no indication that it was a special motive, either.
The story of how the perps were apprehended after the killing might be relevant in evaluating the question:
James Johnson, 52, called the police to tell them that the accused killers were hiding in the car park of the Immauel Baptist Church car park at about 5pm, two hours after they allegedly shot Lane.
“My son called me and said, “They’re saying they’re coming to kill me,” so I called the police and they got here within about three minutes,” Johnson told the Herald Sun.
“They threatened to kill my son because they are in a gang, the Crips, and were trying to get my son in it and I wouldn’t let him do it.
“I told him he couldn’t run with those boys. He’s a little terrified.”
The article doesn’t mention the race of either James Johnson or his son in the text. But there’s a photo of the elder Johnson and he is black, so we can conclude that his son (and the trio’s next intended victim) is either black or of mixed race.
In summary: this does not appear to be a case of three otherwise fine upstanding youths who were bored one day and therefore decided to kill somebody. These were three boys in their mid-to-late teens who were loaded with gang- and rap-type braggadocio and petty criminal activity (from Facebook evidence as well as some previous encounters with the criminal justice system) who decided to escalate things and do some killing. Their first (and only) victim was a white stranger. Their second intended victim was a black acquaintance.
I have titled this post after the famous Dostoevsky novel Crime and Punishment, because that book contained an example of what might motivate a young perpetrator to commit a random and senseless act of violence in killing an elderly female pawnbroker. In the book the perpetrator Raskolnikov has complex philosophical inspirations; the Lane murder perps seem to have been motivated by nothing more than aimlessness and a popular climate and culture that glorifies thuggery.
Note, also, as contrast, the telling testimony of Mr. Johnson, a black father who seems to have been active in protecting his own son from such influences. Remember his words [emphasis added]: “they are in a gang, the Crips, and were trying to get my son in it and I wouldn’t let him do it. I told him he couldn’t run with those boys.”
Johnson is a hero for three reasons. The first is that it was his call to police that was responsible for the apprehension of Lane’s probable killers. The second is that by doing so he may have saved his own son from death. And the third is his example as a parent and involved father: aware and proactive, countering the destructive cultural forces that surround so many young people today.
Excellent tie in to Dostoyevsky, “Crime and Punishment” being one of the best novels ever of a certain sort.
Too bad we feed our young people intellectual garbage and sub-cultural sewage every single day of their lives.
None of these killer-kids ever read Dostoyevsky – and liberals who are as bigoted and prejudiced as it is possible for person to be are certain that they know no young black kid could or would read or understand Dostoyevsky.
Of course actual factual reality about real and living human beings gives lie to the liberal every day of the week. But no matter. The vicious liberal monster spawns vicious little monsters to do what monsters do – kill people.
Really? Don’t be ridiculous! Never happen that Johnny Crip could read Dostoyevsky!
Two things:
1. The one who says they can’t will surely prophecy correctly.
2. The one who reads “The Art of Freedom” will know what righteous anger towards #1 is.
Demonic is the relevant term here.
First you kill the values. Next as night follows day they start killing people. Remedial violence turns to random violence and then recreational violence.
Remedial Dostoyevsky goes in another direction.
That’s where we are. Alcatraz is on the main streets.
I’ve run out of patience with grievance mongering, no matter the source.
I could set forth the grievance of my group, i.e., white men, but the only thing that would do would be to piss me off.
I don’t want to be pissed off. Life is good. Let all the others gather up their grievances and accuse one another.
I’ve got better things to do. Like a granddaughter to babysit.
The last paragraph mentions the most destructive force in this society and black culture — the absence of the man/father. Thank you churches, schools, government, feminism.
Well, if Obama had a son, he might look like Christopher Lane — if he ha married a white woman.
The mother of the one of the killers also seems to have a record:
http://pjmedia.com/tatler/2013/08/21/meet-brenda-edwards-mother-of-accused-bored-teen-killer-james-edwards/
I agree with you about Johnson being a hero, but I also think putting all the blame on the fathers is wrong. Don’t the girls who open their legs for all the “cool” guys in school deserve some of the blame too? We have put too much emphasis on putting condoms on bananas and far too little on the stupidity of giving yourself to guys who call girls ho’s. I am sick of my attitudes being called racist. I am sick of the elite in gated communities or upper west side condos praising “authentic” black culture. I am sick of feminists who think that being able to abort at 28 weeks is more important than learning life and parenting skills. I am sick of the outrage at Trayvon Martin’s death and the total lack of concern about how that cute young kid became a thug. And I am sick of being held responsible for all of the problems among blacks. My husband and I both grew up far poorer than many of the welfare types today. Money doesn’t solve their problems; values and skills do.
And to all the anti-gun campaigners who have transported their stupid message across the ATlantic and Pacific, why don’t you ever mention the people who are beaten and knifed by thugs like these three?
Several thoughts :
The mother is white.
One of the perp’s black mother and the other perp’s black father are in denial as to their children being guilty. “Ms Luna [the black mother] told the Herald Sun: “I feel sorry for them, [the victim’s parents] my heart goes out to them, it really does, but that’s my baby too. My boy was a baby too.”
Contrast that with longtime Boston Red Sox broadcaster Jerry Remy’s utter disgust with his son’s murderous actions.
There’s no remorse evident in either of the murder’s faces. Going to prison for murder will ‘establish’ their street creds.
Unlike CNN’s incomplete reportage, the Herald Sun in AU offers far more coverage and reported that,”District Attorney Jason Hicks said he heard how one of the boys accused of murdering Lane, 22, danced and laughed as he was taken into a police station to be charged after the killing on Friday.
James Edwards, 15, was treating the murder as a joke, Mr Hicks told the hearing.
Mr Hicks said Edwards kept a probation appointment for another matter at the courthouse just minutes after Lane was killed.
“He was cold, callous and that was the demeanour that we saw throughout the course of the investigation,” Mr Hicks said.
Mr Hicks told the court that Edwards has previously been in contact with police, and that he had “an attitude of total disregard for law enforcement” when he was being charged over Lane’s death. ” [my emphasis]
Luna’s facebook page shows “photos of the tattooed teen flashing gang signs and drinking beer. His page also displays a red, yellow and green flag with the words Black Power inside it.
There’s also a picture of Africa, with the same color scheme – traditionally associated with black liberation movements – that features an upraised, clenched black fist.” [there’s also another graphic of all the continents in black]
Edwards posted on Twitter three days before the killing, “With my niggas when it’s time to start taken life’s,”… [my emphasis]
Add in ‘flash mob’ violence and the “knockout game” and random black violence against whites is approaching epidemic standards.
“The Knockout Game: Racial Violence and the Conspicuous Silence of the Media.”
Black ‘gangsta’ culture is a virulent cancer that has now fully metastasized into the American heartland.
expat, your comment about girls deserving the blame.
First, anyone who contributes deserves a share of the blame, but your words remind me that girls need fathers, too. We often talk about boys and fathers, but the truth is girls need to know how to choose good men, and often the best example is the father.
And, yes, they need mothers; they need the whole package.
We might have to give some serious thought to reestablishing orphanages and the CCC. The current state of affairs is turning out feral children who are a threat to all.
There was a time in law enforcement when night stick justice was administered liberally in rough neighborhoods to protect the innocent.
Amen Geoffrey Britain.
We can deny the evidence, but that won’t make it go away.
The conclusion that I draw is that we have a race based gangster sub-culture in the country that feeds on hatred. The hatred is nurtured by the race industry, which sadly seems to include our President.
A parallel is the drive to disarm lawful citizens so that in due time the only weapons will be in the hands of the government and the criminals. I hope that is not a redundant statement.
Neo, I do not believe for a moment that the victim’s race was random. It is true that a black man was next on the list–after they warmed up–but they had a motive to kill him. Still, they did not go for him first.
The one killer was white in the same sense that Barack Obama is white. Actually, although he has lighter skin, his features sure look negroid to me. I also wonder if there are any white crips? That would be an anomaly.
The parents of these boys should never stop apologizing to society.
How many random blacks went by while they were waiting to ambush. Were they waiting for a white to shoot in the back?
If Obama had a son would he look like these creeps? Obama should say this on TV just like he did with Martin.
These evil murderers should be imprisoned along with their parents.
Stop me before I say they should bring back public hangings but that is how i feel lately. Then those boys would not be laughing over their murders for very long.
LAG,
I agree that girls need fathers. But we too offten overlook that girls have power over who is cool. If the thugs get all the sex, what incentive do other guys have to do their homework. There is a kind of female power, but it is not recognized or encouraged.
Two generations ago there were lots of physical jobs like farming, timbering, railroads, coal mines, steel factories, tire factories, car factories and pick and shovel work. Parents would tell their kids to study hard or they would end up digging ditches. There were lots of jobs for strong but not so bright males, and you could always join the Army or Navy.
Most of those jobs are gone and the military doesn’t want dummies who can’t behave. Unfortunately, those testosterone laced not bright males are still out there. It’s a threat to society that must be dealt with.
If I see one young man, I’m not concerned.
If I see two young men, I’m somewhat concerned.
If I see three young men, I’m at full alert. With three, there’s always one who’s stirring the pot. I bet you can’t take that guy. I bet he’s tougher than you. I think he just disrespected you, you gonna take that?
Of course, when things go sideways, the pot stirrer will claim innocence. No, I didn’t do nuthin’! swearsies!!
Stop me before I say they should bring back public hangings but that is how i feel lately.
My initial thought was that they should be given a fair trial and a fine hanging. Broadcast on TV. Let them twist in the breeze.
Gun control sounds desirable in theory but it would not have stopped these kids. Each needed a Mr. Johnson (aka a father) in their lives, but I’ll bet none of the killers has one.
The breakdown of the family, particularly black families, is the root cause. Mr. Johnson is the exception not the rule and we are all living with the consequences of that fact.
Mr. Frank: “There was a time in law enforcement when night stick justice was administered liberally in rough neighborhoods to protect the innocent.”
Yes, I remember the 50s and 60s in cities like Milwaukee and Chicago. Big strapping cops with a night stick in hand walking their beats. It is known as deterrence or peace through strength. The student demonstrations, hippie culture, make love not war, disrespect for law, and hatred for police of the late 60s and 70s set us on a course to the place we’re at now.
As Daniel Patrick Moynihan put it so aptly, we have defined deviancy down. With so many unwed mothers with children who get no training in self discipline at home or at school, especially in the black community, things are spiraling downward in those communities.
Jobs would be a big help. But we know that isn’t going to happen as long as the President continues to vilify those who want to build or grow a business. The CCC did take a lot of unemployed toughs off the streets and put them in camps run by the Army where they got a good dose of tough love (discipline – corporal if required) and a measure of pride in themselves and the jobs they did. Could it work today? I doubt it. Even the Army doesn’t take thugs and toughs the way they used to. IMO, we don’t know how to provide tough love anymore.
The question is, “What is to be done?” There are no answers that are acceptable to those who are in political power. It would mean recognizing what casual sex, single motherhood, lack of entry level jobs, loss of discipline in the schools, and other losses of society’s standards have wrought on our society.
Short or novel, sci fi. “No Fire Burns”. About hollow people. Have to look it up.
I will be waiting for CNN to spend equal time on the shooting in the back of the college baseball player as it did on the Zimmerman trial.
I am Chris Lane.
“A parallel is the drive to disarm lawful citizens so that in due time the only weapons will be in the hands of the government and the criminals. I hope that is not a redundant statement” Oldflyer
The closer the populace of a society is to being fully disarmed, the more certain that the government will engage in blatantly criminal acts.
““When firearms go, all goes. We need them every hour.”” George Washington
“Arms in the hands of citizens may be used at individual discretion… in private self-defense.” John Adams
““No freeman shall be debarred the use of arms.”” Thomas Jefferson
““Experience hath shewn, that even under the best forms of government those entrusted with power have, in time, and by slow operations, perverted it into tyranny.”” Thomas Jefferson
“Oppressors can tyrannize only when they achieve a standing army, an enslaved press, and a disarmed populace… Crisis is the rallying cry of the tyrant.” James Madison
I’m doubtful that jobs could redeem most of these black gangsta’s. You can give a savage a haircut and dress him finely but he’ll still be a savage.
I’ve too have thought of frontier justice and public hangings but of course the race angle makes that unacceptable. Most liberals haven’t been mugged and watched their spouse raped so they are opposed to the death penalty as well.
I do have a suggestion however that would free the public from supporting these animals for the rest of their natural lives without imposing the death penalty or even sending them to prison.
For such as these, a lobotomy and castration would suffice. They would then retain neither the intelligence nor testosterone to pose a threat to the public. Once they’d physically recovered, hand them a broom and tell them that their job is to keep the sidewalk clean. I suspect the deterrent effect upon future wanna be gangsta’s might be considerable.
“The breakdown of the family, particularly black families, is the root cause.” CV
Bingo, that’s the largest factor.
The lesson of this story to me is:
“If you outlaw guns, then only the outlaws will have guns.”
And:
“Gun bans are victim disarmament.”
Australia has strict anti-gun policies, and a culture of self-defense is thus actively repressed. This poor athlete here, all accounts a decent and nice man, was murdered… in a clear context where he was like a lamb walking around wolves. Imagine if Lane was born in, say, Dallas, Texas and expressed interest in concealed carry.
But, all politics aside, this is just awful. Condolences to his family.
I know some single moms whose husbands left or they were widowed young and they raised good citizens. But the Moms were of sterling character and very strict. Therein lies the difference.
Even though they were single white Moms, they taught their children to respect God, the family, their teachers and the community.
My mother always told me that the best thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother. And the love and respect will filter down to the youngest.
SwiperTheFox, 7:11 pm — “The lesson of this story to me is: ‘If you outlaw guns, then only the outlaws will have guns.'”
And the reason there were at one time so many lynchings of blacks by the Ku Klux Klan, was that at that time and place, there were inadequate rope control laws.
Geoffrey Britain Says:
August 21st, 2013 at 7:09 pm
There have been several thousand examples of lynching in American history (not “millions” as Oprah Winfrey said). Most were black, but plenty were white.
While lynching is a violation of due process and should be discouraged in a Constitutional republic operating under the rule of law, when I see some of the heinous crimes that are committed today, I have to wonder whether it was actually justified in some cases.
Certainly some innocent people were caught up in the passions of the mob and lynched, and that is unacceptable. But how many were monsters and rabid animals who were murderers, rapists, or child molesters, and richly deserved their fate?
I suspect that it was a non-trivial number.
Geoffrey Britain:
I provided the wrong link to get to the photo of the mother, but if you want to see it go to this article and scroll down about 3/4 of the way. If you do that you will find that it was actually the white mother you were quoting, not the black mother as you said. Jennifer Luna is white.
You can also see a video interview with Ms. Luna here (I would embed it, but it doesn’t give the code for that).
I think, a very insightful post on a random and senseless killing. The only thing I would change is the literary reference, this seems to have more in common with “A Clockwork Orange” than with “Crime and Punishment”.
As you had noted, Raskolnikov had complex philosophical motives, here it was just boredom much like Alex and his three droogs.
I won’t hold my breath to hear all the details of this case; but, I suspect that race was very much a part of it as was “revenge” for Trayvon . . . not that the news media would ever report such truth, if it were the case.
Does the fact that Jones is white mean that Luna, the black teen who allegedly pulled the trigger, is not a racist? Sorry, but the facts do not support your conclusion.
Steve:
What are you talking about? That’s neither my reasoning nor my conclusion. You’re constructing a strawman and arguing with it.
I fully expect MSNBC’s Melissa Perry to spend her entire next show on the Lane murder with special condemnation of the hip hop/gangster culture.
Not.
neo,
My mistake. Denial comes in all colors.
As of Wednesday evening the racial apologists are already out in force.
Juan Williams compared this to the Zimmerman/Martin murder in which it was proven that Zimmerman profiled Martin because he was black. Yes folks, I know that just the opposite was proven, but, that is what he said.
The White House Deputy Press Secretary was not familiar with the case, but opined that Obama would abhor the violence; and that we must be careful not to get ahead of the investigation. Yes, that is what he said. Obama has been silent; Lane doesn’t look like him, but some of the perps bear a slight resemblance.
Some media are making a big point that it must not be racial because Luna’s mother is white. However, Luna was born after she and his step father had split, and Luna’s father is not known. His picture, and his associations, tell a story.
So, you can easily see where this is going. Just a subtle hint–nowhere.
By the way, judging by the number of facebook pictures of these guys with guns, I am sure there will be calls for stronger laws. I agree, it should be illegal for gangbangers to have guns. Oh.
I am not constructing a strawman. What is the point of bringing up the race of the teens except to examine the possibility of a race-based crime? What is the point of saying that Jones is white and Luna’s mother is white except to raise doubts about the role of race? You then go on to suggest that the murder was likely a crime of opportunity. Based on what? The race of the victim is different than someone they threatened. Now if they really were just out for a thrill kill, why not kill the kid they had already threatened? That was an opportunity waiting to happen. Why didn’t they kill him? Because they wanted him to be a member of their gang. So these two ‘victims’ were not equal opportunities in the eyes of the teens. They selected the white guy ‘at random.’ Just like Edwards knocked out 5 whites ‘at random’ according to the article you linked.
Steve:
The point of bringing up race is that, as I wrote, “The Lane murder is being used in a number of ways.” I did not bring up race out of the blue. It is already being discussed in the blogosphere and elsewhere as being racially motivated; it is being used to advance arguments about race.
I am merely looking at all the racial evidence we are privy to so far. It certainly might be the case that the murder was racially motivated (and becomes more likely if more facts come out to support it). But there is nothing especially pointing to it at this point. And the racial makeup of the characters, which includes the fact that Jones looks white but perhaps is not (we don’t really know for sure), and the fact that Luna (who appears black) has a white mother, is another racial aspect of the case that weakens (although it certainly does not do away with) the idea that the killing had a very strong racial motivation.
It was supposedly Luna who was the shooter, by the way, not Edwards (although of course that does not absolve either Edwards or Jones).
I certainly never said or implied that the fact that one of the suspects is white (Jones) means that the trigger man, or all three for that matter, couldn’t have been motivated by hatred for white people. it just would argue somewhat against it.
And obviously—from the fact situation I laid out—their motives for killing victim #1 and intended victim #2 would have been somewhat different. But that does not prove or even necessarily indicate a racial motivation for #1. We simply don’t have enough information to know for sure.
You should notice, also that I wrote “the fact that the victim was white was probably far from a drawback in the eyes of the perpetrators.” In other words, it was probably a plus. But I continue to think the evidence points to the fact that they were wanting to kill in general—a random and vulnerable target presented itself in the case of Lane, and a non-random target in the case of Johnson.
As for Edwards having fights with 5 white people after Zimmerman, that certainly seems racially motivated. But these were fist fights with victims he himself chose (at least, that’s what it seems from what he wrote)—not a killing of a victim all three chose together.
Also, Duncan Oklahoma is a VERY white town. One would have to seek out black people to find them randomly—the town is only 1% African-American and over 90% white. I have little doubt that the three suspects knew many black people in town, of course. But a randomly selected victim would almost certainly have been white.
Oldflyer:
Juan Williams has been consistently terrible on the Zimmerman case, distorting even the most basic facts.
Why not argue the evidence is consistent with a race-based crime? There is certainly evidence in their race. Their choice of victim. Their recent criminal behavior. Their association with a largely black criminal gang. I’m sure we’re just scratching the surface. It is quite a stretch to say their choices and thinking are race neutral. What is the evidence for that? The shooter’s sister blames the community. Playing the race card. How perfect.
I think the point about the race issue is who’s insisting there is none. The full 180 from Zimmerman.
In neither case is there an interest in facts. In the former case, facts were and are misrepresented and it remains to be seen if facts will be misrepresented in this one.
It’s not boredom. That’s pretty much a lie.
All the criminal psychology I’ve learned, contains not one such motivation. Voices to drown your kids in the bath? Yes. Voices to eat girls you’ve killed and raped? Yes.
Boredom? That’s more of an Obamacan motivation.
not a killing of a victim all three chose together.
In those kinds of group mechanics dominated by charisma, fear, and violence, there is only one leader and he makes all the decisions. The rest are just following along for fear of being exiled or being the next target.
So it’s not as if the agreement of all 3 or even a majority was required for an operation.
It would mean recognizing what casual sex, single motherhood, lack of entry level jobs, loss of discipline in the schools, and other losses of society’s standards have wrought on our society.
They already recognize such things. They intended for such things to happen all along.
This reminds me of that class example where people still like to believe that only if the rulers knew the extent of the problem, that they would try to fix it. This belief is wrong on several levels. It doesn’t recognize a certain fundamental fact.
This story from OZ is linked at Drudge this morning:
Chris Lane shooting a gang initiation, says father who called police .
That makes sense.
Too bad you have to go half way around the planet to find the truth, but that’s become par for the course these days.
Gangs generally have an initiation ceremony. It counts as a loyalty test. This makes it impossible or improbable for the person that passes the test to go back to “normal society”, so he sticks with the gang society by pure survival/fear instincts.
Going around, picking a target, and killing them, is an example of such an initiation ceremony. Which is why in certain countries, it is not wise to allow other cars to pass by your window and then let them just sit there while their window rolls down. Because the next thing that might be coming is the bullet, the grenade, or the acid.
Reading what Carl IA wrote, James Johnson sounds like he knows gangs on an intimate level. Which, given his experience, would be consistent with other things.
The moment I heard about the Crips connection, things started getting together. Figuring out the rank and hierarchy of the killers, would reconstruct the situation and its underlining tactical motivations.
While people’s desire for some functional violence to save them from the barbarians is understandable, they have misplaced their emotions.
It is not the tools, slaves, and teenagers at the bottom of society’s rank you need to kill. Look a little bit up, at the source of the evil, and reconsider your strategic vision.
This? This doesn’t even count as a drop in the Left’s ocean of evil. If only people knew what the Left had done. Not that knowing about it helps, but it would prevent misdirected emotions.
Race is the dominant factor in crime today.It cannot be ignored,though many try.
How come nobody is complaining about the emergency response time???
I’m wondering when Obama will address the root cause – boredom — and not seized the boredom crisis as proof we need to keep our teens entertained, less we should expect to be murdered by them. Clearly, bored youth are a growing national problem, (not to mention a new voter demographic) which can only be solved if taxpayers recognize the need for federally funded youth centers, with theatres, food courts, video game arcades, and so on.
The 2016 Democrat convention is sure to have a plank catering to this new voter block. I certainly hope the Republican party braintrust — Rolly Polly Rove and Dunce Preebus are hard at work with their own goodie package to counter the Democrats offer, or we are doomed.