Life For Killing Boy Who Tread On Lawn

Ohio Man Sentenced In Shooting Of 15-Year-Old Who Crossed His Yard

(AP)  A man who fatally shot a teenage neighbor because he walked on the man's carefully tended lawn has been sentenced to life in prison.

Charles Martin, 67, must serve 18 years before he can be considered for parole, Clermont County Common Pleas Judge William Walker ordered, adding that he would urge that Martin never be considered for parole.

The man was convicted last month of murder in the March 2006 shotgun killing of 15-year-old Larry Mugrage Jr., a high school freshman.

Martin told the court he was sorry the shooting occurred but said the teen knew how much Martin cared for his lawn and provoked him.

"He stepped on it and he walked 40 feet through it," Martin said. "I cared about it. I cut it every five days."

Prosecutors said Martin had confronted the teen earlier in the day when he walked into Martin's yard on his way to a friend's house, then loaded his .410-gauge shotgun and waited more than three hours for him to return.

When the boy stepped on the lawn again, Martin fired at him twice, according to testimony. He then called 911, telling a dispatcher: "I just killed a kid."

Martin was tried on aggravated murder but convicted of murder, a lesser count, because jurors because could not agree the killing was planned.

[animalfarm2]

NO ONE has the right to take another person's life just because they are doing something you dislike or disagree with....but please tell me, what is the point in antagonizing a 67 year old man?

[mitch0927]

First of all, proof read your story. You are supposed to be a professional writer and it looks like it was written by an elementary student. Second, the jurors must be high on something, loading a weapon and waiting for three hours. If that isn't a plan, what is?...if he cared about his lawn so much, I wonder why it was only mowed once every five days. I mow mine every three days, and take care of it constantly. I do allow the kids to play on it, because it is the softest lawn on the block, and it is also the toughest. This nut was really a dummy....

[hissteps4u]

Kids can be cruel and do not realize the consequences of their actions untill its almost to late or is to late.

I know defiant 15 to 21 year olds who Love to provoke people.

Certainly what this Man did was criminal and he needs to pay the price but this defiant youth who provoked him also paid a price he did not expect for provoking the Man.

He Paid with his life!

[huskerarmy]

"NO ONE has the right to take another person's life just because they are doing something you dislike or disagree with....but please tell me, what is the point in antagonizing a 67 year old man?"
Posted by animalfarm2
What is the point of your question?

[ammermantm]

"then loaded his .410-gauge shotgun and waited more than three hours for him to return"

jurors could not agree the killing was planned?

he waited for over three hours with a loaded shotgun to talk to him?

[Keypinitreel1]

Sounds like the teen was asking for trouble... still no reason to kill the kid but it sounds like the kid was disrespectful at best.

Thats what happens when kids arent disciplined and adults are antagonized... I dont agree with it ... but ... thats what happens.

Teach kids to respect adults and other peoples space.

[ammermantm]

GETTING SHOT IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU ARE DISRESPECTFUL?

I didn't know this kid and I bet none of you did either, so maybe you shouldn't assume he was an obnoxious disrespectful punk kid that got what was coming to him.

a crazy old man shot him for walking accross his yard and as far as we know it was the second time he had done it.

[cathaleen]

If this man didn't own a gun, the boy would be alive. What was the purpose of shooting this boy. Call the cops and have him charged with trespassing.

[kindrox]

The man broke the law, there is no legal reason in any state for what the man did, and he has to go to jail for breaking the law.

Gun control nuts often claim that self defense laws will be used to justify this kind of killing, and as you clearly see in this case, it is not true.

[kindrox]

If this man didn't own a gun, the boy would be alive. What was the purpose of shooting this boy. Call the cops and have him charged with trespassing.
Posted by cathaleen at 11:02 AM : May 25, 2007

He could be dead by knive or bow or car or god knows how many means could be used. To say that only firearms can be used to kill is moronic.

*waited more than three hours for him to return*

Clearly this guy waited to kill the boy, and would have used whatever means required.

[rational_1]

Killing a kid for trespassing on a manicured lawn? Sure the kid was probably goading him, but get some perspective man. I'm frankly surprised his lawyer didn't go with an insanity defense. Who but a complete nutjob would lie in wait for three hours to shoot a kid who was walking on his lawn? You'd think in all that time it might occur to him at least once that, "Hmmm, it's a bit crazy for me to be sitting here with a loaded shotgun, waiting to shoot this kid". Now the kid is dead and the old guy gets to die in prison - what a waste.

[jetlizhan]

the jurors couldn't agree it was planned????? he waited 3 hrs with the shotgun in his hand. i call that PLANNED.

[i_am_emac]

"If this man didn't own a gun, the boy would be alive"

yeah, and if this kid wasnt a punk #sshole he'd be alive, whose to say he coulnt have beat him with a four iron. This isnt about guns. Years ago, that kid would have been clocked, and and rightfully so. Now a days, kids act like jerks, their parents dont care, and if you do anything, your gonna get sued. We need to stop coddling kids and go back to beating them.

[deadanimal]

So why isn't anyone blaming the violence in video games and music? Every time a young person kills another person, there's always discussion of the violence depicted in popular media contributing to a 'desensitization%u2019 of young minds. So because this is some old *** heartlessly killing a person, what can we blame it on?

[russ1985]

Has anyone ever heard of lying in wait in Ohio? He sat there for three hours waiting for the kid to step on his lawn. I would say that before they send him to prison, they should tear out the lawn with a backhoe, just to show the guy how ridiculous that killing was. Killed over a piece of dirt.

[harp1963]

How ridiculous...taking someones life for stepping on their grass. This guy should never be paroled.

[catwoman1964]

Well..now the old man can do work detail at the prison and make their lawns nice. But lord help if another prisoner steps on it!

This teenager was just being an unruly teenager and the old man should have went to his parents and complained to them first. If that didn't work call police. This old man sounds like he let his compulsive disorder take charge and now many people are paying the price.

[freckster]

I have such a neighbor. I promote weed growth in my yard and an unmanicured common property line hedge to balance his over-the-top obsessive compulsive behavior. He traps and kills every animal that ventures into his yard (unfortunately legally here in FL); by his own admission 42 animals at one point last year. He carries a gun every where he goes. I assume he does so legally since he uses the law to every advantage for himself and against others. He's 30 years older than me so I can only hope I and any remaining raccoons, armadillos, opossum, rabbits & squirrels have some peace in his passing.

[uncondluv]

like it or not our young are a reflection of us and our inability to be able to communicate. we are all victims of wanting to be "right", being "right" is more important than life. now both of these lives are wasted, another reminder for the rest of us as to what is really important in life. do unto others as you would have them do unto you, get in the game america, it ain't that hard. nobody is right when a life is wasted.

[feedback3-2009]

I'll tell you what we can blame it on, a f*cking sick lunatic, with no ability to live in the world, who deserves nothing more than a bullet in the head and a burial under his meaningless lawn.

The fact that you think this is fodder for some type of highbrow discussion disturbs me more than the incident. If this isn't well beyond your limits of rationality, THAT might explain what this "civilization" has come to.

[funkiwiteboy]

How crazy is it gonna get when there is no God left?

[dinocards42]

I do not know how the jury did not convict the man of aggrevated murder. He loaded his gun and waiting for the boy. Sounds like premediated murder to me.

[mscientist]

AllahRaghead - I was actually wondering how far I would have to read before I found someone who was mentally and morally challenged enough to defend the old coot.

I'm disappointed at how little reading it took. We can probably all agree (or at least those of us over 20), that most teenagers are ***** with legs attached. However, to kill one of them over a well tended lawn, (or toi defend it) has got to be the height of insanity.

I'm, fearful that people like him (and you) actually exist in this world.

[jetranger7]

HOW DUMB,, JUST DUMB,, I THINK THE IDIOT SHOULD HAVE HIS LAWN SHOVED UP HIS YOU KNOW WHAT !! ALL OF IT !!!

[lsu2378]

I hope that old man gets his ***stepped on in prison. How studid can one person be. And the kid didn't show to much intelligence either. Maybe the next kid who is about to act out, will think about this tragedy, and do something else.

[lvmy3ds]

Other reason why we need gun control.
USA gives anyone a gun and then senseless stuff like this happens.

[mscientist]

uncondluv- huh?

[nlm2383]

"the jurors couldn't agree it was planned????? he waited 3 hrs with the shotgun in his hand. i call that PLANNED."

That's exactly what I was thinking jetlizhan...
Maybe this kid was provoking him, but he was just that, a kid. This guy was a full grown adult. Provoked or not, there's absolutely no reason to shoot someone for something so petty.

[jonw1115]

I don't care if the kid did a total DI*CK dance on the yard, call the police and let them handle it. The guy deserves to spend his miserable life behind bars for such a terrible act. Sounds like his yardwork was a little to near to his heart!

[clarencebev-2009]

I have had teenage relatives kick over sprinkler heads in my front lawn because they are bored.
That is their choice. I have no choice about their being my relative. Let Judge Judy embarrass them on national TV. Keep the guns in the gun store.

[konabike]

Poor Kid. The old man knew should have spoken to the parents and resolved it. Both lives wasted.

[pudd54]

I wonder how many of the people who comment on killing for a piece of dirt live in the city or on a coast. I was taught to respect others people's property. My wife is from Philly and she had a hard time understanding when I would get upset when the kids would walk on someone's lawn.

I think the guy was wrong; however there is a time when his actions would be warranted. It is a matter of where do you draw the line. How about if the kid had walked up to the porch, or thrown a rock would the gentleman then be justified? How about a BB gun, a pellet gun or a 22? The best place to draw the line is at the sidewalk. So maybe he wasn't wrong. I really think if it was my child, the man overreacted, and if it was my grandfather, he was right.

Have fun with the discussion.

[jimibear]

"There are countless kids I've come accross that I would like to have run over or sent through a wood chipper.
Posted by AllahRaghead at 11:22 AM : May 25, 2007"

What's the matter, AllahRaghead ... did Daddy touch you in the bad place? Did mommy not like you?

You are one twisted ***. Shooting a kid to death for walking on your lawn is "a bit extreme"?

I'd hate to see what you would consider really over the top. Just your nickname alone kind of shows you as an a$$ ... then your post confirms it.

[Rontimcoe]

It wasn't planned (premeditated) ??

Didn't he sit there for three huors with a shotgun waiting for the boy to return ?? And then shoot him ??
Maybe he was sleep walking.

I agree with "Jimibear'.
I hope he gets what he deserves in prison. A little yard justice.

[jsmithcsa]

Konabike called it exactly right. The way to handle this should have been speaking with the parents. The whole situation could have been avoided by simply doing that.

I have no argument with the man (pre-felony conviction) having a gun to defend his home. His error was in shooting someone who was no threat to him or his home. It's clearly a case of over-reaction and doesn't reflect gun owners nationwide.

[Keypinitreel1]

yeah, and if this kid wasnt a punk #sshole he'd be alive, whose to say he coulnt have beat him with a four iron. This isnt about guns. Years ago, that kid would have been clocked, and and rightfully so. Now a days, kids act like jerks, their parents dont care, and if you do anything, your gonna get sued. We need to stop coddling kids and go back to beating them.
Posted by i_am_emac at 11:21 AM : May 25, 2007

This is the truth....

WHAT KIND OF KID CAUSES AN ALTERCATION WITH A 67 YR OLD MAN ANYWAY?

The old man was probably scared of the kid.. how big is the old man.. how big is the kid... the kid is already encroaching on his property with blatant disrespect... dam... not saying it was right but the old man is not Adolf Hitler reincarnated.

[nlm2383]

pudd54, I grew up in a town where EVERYONE had a yard...and pretty much everyone took pride in keeping up their yard, even my own dad. But NO ONE where I lived would be such a terrible person to actually shoot a child over grass.

[phineasgage1]

The kid should have gone and played a video game or joined an organized sport. He needed something better to occupy his time with.Torturing and teasing an old man who worked hard his whole life is despicable. It wasn't as if the kid accidentally walked in his yard. The kid did it on purpose to antagonize the guy.

[edjohn66]

"I think the guy was wrong; however there is a time when his actions would be warranted. It is a matter of where do you draw the line. How about if the kid had walked up to the porch, or thrown a rock would the gentleman then be justified? How about a BB gun, a pellet gun or a 22? The best place to draw the line is at the sidewalk. So maybe he wasn't wrong."

I'll be watching the news to see when you kill some poor kid for walking on your lawn, pudd54. You show nearly as much disregard for human life as the convicted murderer in the story.

[italiangreyh]

This is what really aggrevates me about this and similar situations. All of these people found guilty FAR BEYOND ANY RATIONAL OF DOUBT (i.e. he confessed) are thrown in jail for LIFE or less! What gives? Is there any "life" for this deceased teen? I think not! Is an "I'm sorry for overreacting" justification for an act by an adult who should KNOW BETTER? I think not! Futhermore, kids will do stupid things; that is why they are KIDS...to learn. We are adults and should responsible; teach, not kill! I have gone way past understanding why someone convicted in another's death is not sentenced to death within a reasonable time. A speedy execution (like Saddam) should be afforded the familes of victim's in the same fashion law provides a speedy trial for the accused. Furthermore, in rebuttal for all those out there against the death penalty for whatever warped reason you have, those found guilty by "ironclad proof" such as DNA, eyewitness accounts, or statement, should be put down just as a rabid dog as they are not going to "redeem" themselves just as the dog will not become less sick. This not only goes for this man who saw it fit to KILL a CHILD for walking on grass, but for those who drown children because they threw up or those who run children down in the streets because they have had too much to drink!

[nlm2383]

There was a previous story about this phineasgage1. It was posted not too long after this first happened. It explained that the kid was walking home from school. He wasn't some juvenile delinquent roaming the streets. He was a high school freshman. Not all kids join clubs or after school activities or play video games.

[antoniof123]

Wow, this just goes to show you what nuts do. He could have called the cops but noooooooo he pulls out his shotgun.

There is no defense I am a gun owner and I would not have done this. I would have called the cops in this case he was 15 years old and there was no danger involved.

Being stupid does not warrent death.

[wagnarok]

I wouldn't worry too much about the severity of this guy's sentence. If you get life for shooting a kid on your lawn you are most likely to be killed in prison. This guy will die a far more horrific death than if they just gave him the needle. No matter what, he will be leaving prison in a body bag.

[zuser-2009]

I am tending to agree with phineasgage1....

The man treasured his lawn and the kid knew it and was disrespectful and antagonizing the man... it is sad that it ended this way though.

[wadyaknow]

The kid sounded like a pnk. He's out of the gene pool so something good came of this.

[pudd54]

5 years as a cop and 20 in the military, killing people may not upset me as much as it might some, it is called desensitization.

Someone brought out a good point, 15yo gets into an argument with a 67 yo man about trespassing and three hours later comes back, sees the guy with a gun, and trespasses again. Sounds like Darwinism at its best.

[wagnarok]

You would think that a paintball gun would do the trick. It sends the message, there's less cleanup and no life sentence. Yeah, paintball's the way to go for getting 15 year olds off your lawn.

[greydane]

There is plenty of blame to go around, but like the horror of the case most of it is lopsided toward the old man.
I don't know if the kid was provoking the old man, or just being a thoughtless kid going about his business without regard to others, and being a little lazy cutting through yards to get where he was going. Either way he was very slightly in the wrong.
On the other hand the old man was very much in the wrong. His reaction was not proportional to the threat. The perfect punishment for him should he ever be paroled would be for him to tend the grass on the boy's grave, for the rest of his life.

[greydane]

The gun lobby should hold some responsibility also. Yes guns do not kill, but guns do make it easier to over react like this, and harder for the victim to escape. The kid could have probably run from a knife attack or a car zooming at him. Even a bow would have taken more time to aim and the boy would have seen the effort and could have ducked for cover. The gun was mostly likely not visible [i.e. in a lap below/behind a porch railing] to someone not expecting to be shot, and could have been raised and used in a moment without warning.
I am not for banning guns, but I believe in reasonable laws regulating responsibility for your actions and ensuring minimum safety standards. Although I don't know what gun law could have helped here. He was using a weapon easily defended as one commonly used for hunting, not one just for mass killing such as an automatic. He had plenty of time to get and load the weapon [yes some indication of premediatation!], so laws about locking up unused weapons and/or storing the ammo separately would not have helped. I wonder if there was any history in the old man's history that would have shown up in a background check. Maybe something as simple as a recommendation he take an anger management class.

[zoltaric]

How much damage can a kid do walking on the man's prescious lawn? I hope the old man rots in hell.