Too much tragedy: Student charged in fatal stabbing of classmate
January 19, 2007 by Kristina Chew, PhD
Filed under Health
A 16-year-old special education student, John Odgren, has been charged with killing a 15-year-old classmate, James Alenson, by stabbing him at least twice this morning at Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School in Massachusetts. Odgren has Asperger’s syndrome and “no history of violence,” as his lawyer, Jonathan Shapiro, said. According to today’s Metrowest Daily News:
Prosecutor Daniel Bennett said Odgren admitted to school officials he killed Alenson.
“He was in the principal’s office and he said, ‘I did it, I did it,’ ” Bennett said.
WFMY2 News noted that, according to the police report, “Odgren asked police, ‘Is he OK?’ He told them, ‘I don’t want him to die.’”
Odgren has entered a plea of not guilty and is being held without bond out of the general population at the Middlesex Jail in Cambridge.
More reading to keep people focused on the fact that we are talking about ASPERGER’S SYNDROME.
http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/asperger/detail_asperger.htm
Too much bleating and vituperation here, but also many helpful and sympathetic comments. First, no one has offered AS as a defense in this case. Look at the court record. Odgren’s disbility and need for medications were presented in an attempt to hold him in a secure mental health facility rather than prison, which would make a great deal of sense under the curcumstances, but unfortunately was not approved.
Those who say this is (at the very least) a double tragedy are absolutely correct. There are surely many folks on the autism spectrum who justifiably worry that they may be tarred by the brush of this tragic event, which, sadly, is part of the “mob” mentality that hits people when something this terrible occurs. My hear goes out to them and their families and friends, and I hope sites like this and others can help the public to grasp that AS and an incident like this one are two completely different things.
Many, many families who have struggled to get help for disabled kids within the education system understand all too well how difficult that is. There are no roadmaps, there are often financial constraints on school districts, and every kid is a completely unique case. Parents struggle to understand what’s happeining, and to get the help their kid needs, but all by definition begin with no experience and a great deal of resistance.
Finally, MissX’s claim to have seen this coming somehow during her self-described “involvement” with Odgren – on, what, one or two Saturdays during his middle school years? flies in the face of an overwhelming amount of evidence. Odgren was diagnosed many years ago and was indeed on medications and under the care of experienced and knowlegable counselors, physicians, neurodevelopmental pediatricians, experts on AS, and special education professionals. His “outbursts” occurred in situations where they would be expected, in settings where he was being bullied and/or tormented. For God’s sake, clearly, NO ONE saw this coming. No educator or professional or parent would EVER place a kid with the potential for dangerous behavior where an innocent child would be at risk. NEVER! Get a clue! If MissX somehow saw this coming and did nothing, shame on her. If she is now stepping forward with 20-20 hindsight to gain visibility and a post-facto “I told you so,” for herself, shame on her for that, too.
As most posters on this site recognize, parents struggle mightily with these issues, often for their entire lives. To blame Odgren’s parents for this when they have so obviously been doing what every parent ought to do is so craven and vindictive that one wonders at MissX’s motives here.
Hindsight, thanks for the thoughtful insights…….I hope that I might work to do what I can to “help the public to grasp that AS and an incident like this one are two completely different things.”
For Hindsight–
You are obviously someone who doesn’t read carefully or between the lines. I worked with Odgren every day for th first semester of his seventh grade year. So the first thing I suggest you do is go back and re-read. During the course of that same time he happened to enroll a a school and took some Saturday classes, that he was dismissed from, due to his behavioral probloems. You obviously know nothing about he public school system, same as many people who are blogging here. Very out of touch. Are you even from MA? Where the education budget is lower and lower on a regular basis (capita per student). Where I wasn’t working as a teacher, but overqualified to be a teacher. Working as an aide. With a masters. To hire me as a teacher, they would not be able to afford it. Workling as an aide you can be fired at any moment. So was I going to stand up against my principal and Superintendent at the time and say…. Nope. Someone did that, they were brought to court, then they were fired. I needed health insurance. Can anyone fortell someone will send their child to a class on forensic science, feed them as much Stephen King as they can find, even if he has a “My Space” page that looks like the one John had posted? I think that Asperger’s did in fact play a part in this, but Asperger’s in no way made John plan a premeditated crime. How about the fact that John had had a meeting with the district shrink the fall proir to all of this happening? Why not burn her at the stake?
Why would I have motives? Why would it not be that I am the only person here that has just seen this child and family interact with the school system first hand.
Hey I don’t live in MA any more. If you want a killer walking around in public with you and your families thats’s on you. I am democratic and liberal. The one thing I don’t think can be fixed is people and kids that kill. What if it was your child he killed, how forgiving would you be, because, and I am being very completely honest with you, I would not forgive him. I would want him locked up as long as possible.
I don’t understand the attacks on myself but yet they continue, and that is fine. I know that I am a great person. I am estabished in my field. A bunch of angry parents and girls bashing me because they are disabled or have disabled chidren are fine. I am a teacher. I have been awarded teacher of the year. I work with inner city youth. They go home and worry about being shot or taken by a child molester on the way. They hate school vacations, because they spend an entire week without food. I always make sure I have food squirreled away for them, so they can have something.
I live in a very modest townhouse with four pets I adopted from the humane society. I am engauged to someone who is jewish (i am catholic). I go visit my grandparents who are elderly, when they need my help. I love talking care of my 6 year old nephew. So those of you who wish to make me into a monster keep trying. I love my life and what I do. I suggest you all tqke loks in the mirror. I have posted articles for you, I have told you what I could. I defended myself againd people who lashed out at me because they have displaced their own anger, and I think several of you have a lot of growing up to do.
I only see one person here who’s angry.
Though I imagine if John’s parents were to read this, then there’d be three.
Josh’s parent’s likely wouldn’t be too happy about their son’s killing being used as a platform for…whatever you’re ranting on about either.
But only one angry person, making lots of claims about her degrees and being a wonderful person, yet slamming people every chance she gets.
It’s really quite odd.
Gah. James not Josh. Those names get me every time. But I’m not angry. Bet he isn’t either, at least not at me. I’m not using him.
“Prove the dead kid wasn’t a bully.”
-Yeah little girl, you speak with such charm and dignity. Hope your Rett’s does’t grip you and make you suffer like it does so many of it’s other patients. God, that would just save the world from hearing the verbal diarrhea that keeps pouring from your mouth in heeps. I have done no such thing when you say slamming peopple every chance I get. And if your smart little sel would look back, if your “head isn’t too fried”, and read from the beginning, none of it happened til you came on my dear little one. So go chew on that, maybe choke on it as well.
I am going to close comments on this post. Thanks to all for responding.