I can't even remember what started me going down this rabbit hole, but I stumbled across two (old) stories involving autistic young adults who were arrested for murdering and then attempting to murder their respective moms.

https://www.foxnews.com/story/prosecuting-autism-ohio-court-struggles-with-autistic-teen-accused-of-murdering-mom

This first article was written in 2015 but relates back to a case first started in 2009 when a Kent State professor was beaten to death by her 18 year old autistic son. When she didn't show up to class one day, police were eventually called for a welfare check. She was found severely beaten in her home and succumbed to her injuries several days later. The son was found "cowering" in the basement. He's been in custody since 2009, and has been declared incompetent to stand trial ever since. I couldn't find any updates on this guy (Sky Walker … are you effing kidding me) since this Fox News article.

https://www.gazettenet.com/Archives/2016/02/Holmes-HG-021116

In this case from 2015, a 21 year old autistic man stabbed his mother several times with a knife and according to prosecutors, the stabbing only stopped because the knife "broke". Similarly I wasn't able to find any further updates on this case but they wanted to charge him with attempted murder. The mom survived the stabbing and had been pleading for her sons release despite the attack.

I don't have any autistic family members or know anyone personally on a close level with an autistic kid or family member so I have no personal experience with this. What is the solution in cases like this? How about when an autistic kid or young adult starts showing aggressive tendencies (like punching and kicking you hard) as they get old enough where it can actually hurt you.

Not sure what the answer is.

I'm pretty sure the answer to a lot of societies ills is to allow mental facilities to start admitting people again like the old days.

I don't think you can make a blanket statement on that either way. Autism is a spectrum. There are some that are non-verbal and completely unable to process emotions properly. Others are quite high functioning. Some would be capable of standing trial, and some would not.

Are they incapable of determining right from wrong?

Life in prison. We don't need to execute them, but we can't have autistic murderers walking around either. It doesn't matter if it's not their fault. Lock them up and throw away the key.

It depends. It has to be hashed out. As long as it's not used as a crutch or an excuse like adhd usually is, then im ok with having it properly evaluated as to whether they can be tried.

Intent and competency is everything for me.

It's not a rabid dog's fault that it is rabid, but a rabid dog can not be allowed to live in a civilized society.


If you are guilty of a crime, you are guilty. Anything else is lawyers exploiting crap to get well paying clients off. No different than the "affluenza" garbage a few years ago.

They should. Serial killers are more than likely either way on the spectrum or have massive trauma from childhood.

All people should be tried and able to be found guilty, crazy or not. If crazy, then you get to do your time in an appropriate facility

Why are we always asking if someone should face the consequences for their actions?

Of course.

If you do the crime you should do the time, regardless of your mental or emotional problems. If you want to argue for a special prison for crazy people, then I would be okay with that as long as it is an actual prison and not some place that is easily escaped.

I am always wrong said:

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Life in prison. We don't need to execute them, but we can't have autistic murderers walking around either. It doesn't matter if it's not their fault. Lock them up and throw away the key.

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"Lock them up and throw away the key" may be far more applicable for mental institutions than for prisons. If you are in prison and your sentence is up, you are out of there no matter how dangerous you clearly are.

There is no sentence for a mental institution -- you are in there until you convince the doctors that you are legitimately well. That can turn out to be a lot longer than any prison term.

Some years ago, I heard of one guy who had gone to prison for a term of something like six years who decided that serving the sentence in a mental institution would be better and he managed to get transferred. Then he found out that he couldn't get out. At the time I heard about it, I think he had been there for ten years with no end in sight.

If you really want to screw someone over, send them to a mental institution instead of prison.

eric76 said:

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I am always wrong said:

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Life in prison. We don't need to execute them, but we can't have autistic murderers walking around either. It doesn't matter if it's not their fault. Lock them up and throw away the key.

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"Lock them up and throw away the key" may be far more applicable for mental institutions than for prisons. If you are in prison and your sentence is up, you are out of there no matter how dangerous you clearly are.

There is no sentence for a mental institution -- you are in there until you convince the doctors that you are legitimately well. That can turn out to be a lot longer than any prison term.

Some years ago, I heard of one guy who had gone to prison for a term of something like six years who decided that serving the sentence in a mental institution would be better and he managed to get transferred. Then he found out that he couldn't get out. At the time I heard about it, I think he had been there for ten years with no end in sight.

If you really want to screw someone over, send them to a mental institution instead of prison.

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and bribe the chief staff.

Mental institutions, those noted bastions of treatment and ideal conditions for the "patients" they serve.

Might as well lobotomize them at that point. Autism doesn't make you entirely shielded from responsibility, as someone with multiple autistic family members.