A 14-year old boy who allegedly shot and killed his father in Carson last Wednesday is scheduled to appear in Compton juvenile court today.

The father, Myron Chisem, was a 42-year old U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement special agent. The son, who has not been identified, allegedly shot his father in the head through a backyard window using Chisem’s government-issued gun. Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department officials said the son called 911 to report the incident.

About eight hours later, the boy was arrested and booked on suspicion of murder. At this point, the motive remains unclear. But Sean Butler, a friend of Chisem’s since 1991, said there “was never any indication” of trouble between Chisem and his son, who is described as a nice, quiet boy who was doing well in school.

The L.A. district attorney plans to ask a juvenile judge to have the teen tried as an adult. That hasn’t been decided yet, and the boy’s fitness will be determined during an upcoming hearing. But cases like this beg the question as to whether a child who kills a parent ought to be treated differently from someone who kills an innocent stranger.

Rightly or wrongly, parents are often blamed or held responsible for many of their children’s actions. If forthcoming details reveal that the father and son had a difficult relationship of some kind, would that make some difference in terms of how the case should be handled? What if the boy is determined to have some kind of developmental disorder? In either case, is it fair to try him as an adult?

GUESTS

Laurie Levenson, Professor of Law, Loyola Law School

Professor Kathleen Heide, Department of Criminology, University of South Florida; Renowned expert in parricide