The four teens who killed 73-year-old Linda Frickey after a violent carjacking (see the original story below) will be tried as adults on second-degree murder charges in New Orleans.
The teens — all between the ages of 15 and 17 — were indicted by a grand jury on second-degree murder charges Thursday. All of the teens are being held on a $1 million bond.
“These four have been charged as adults because, simply put: the juvenile court system is not designed for this,” District Attorney Jason Williams said at a press conference Thursday. “Four or five years for these criminal acts is just not enough.”
Conviction on a second-degree murder charge carries a mandatory life sentence.
Here's the original story on the deadly carjacking below:
We talked earlier this month about about the absolute skyrocketing amount of carjackings across major U.S. cities. With the dramatic rise in carjackings comes the need for all of us to realize that the nature of the crime is violent and it can be deadly.
Case in point: a 73-year-old grandmother has been dragged to her death by four teens when they carjacked her.
The New Orleans Police Department reports that four minors have been arrested and charged in connection with the death of a woman during a carjacking. These individuals face vehicular homicide charges in addition to murder.
According to police, the four suspects wanted were taken into custody one day after the crime.
Superintendent Shaun Ferguson confirmed that one 17-year-old boy, one 16-year-old girl, and two 15 year-old girls were arrested.
According to Ferguson, the parents of one of the 15-year-olds called the police and turned their daughter in. Ferguson also said that when police found 17-year-old boy, they found evidence with which to charge the16-year old girl.
Linda Frickey was killed when she was carjacked in the 300 block of North Scott Street in Mid-City.
The teens carjacked Frickey and reportedly sped off while she was still caught up in her seatbelt and being dragged. Neighbors said they could see her body bouncing as the car drove away.
"It is disgusting. You have a 73-year-old woman just at her job. Putting things in the car. They dragged her. No forethought. Dismembered her. Why? She was just a good person," said Kathy Richard, Linda's sister-in-law.
Check out this video below and you can behold the horror of the neighbors who witnessed the crime. Some tried to get the minors to stop.
The woman was dragged more than a block before being dislodged from the car, her arm severed during the incident. Dragged for more than a block! The kids stealing her vehicle knew exactly how much she was suffering and yet they continued driving.
Todd Ecker from Mid-City said, "I got out of my vehicle screaming, 'Stop, stop. You are dragging someone.' He took off with the vehicle, still dragging her. Reckless. No care for human beings at all."
Parish District Attorney Jason Williams shared his thoughts regarding the carjacking:
“What occurred to 73-year-old Linda Frickey was heinous and unthinkable. I can’t help, but think of my own mother and other elders in our community.
"While we will allow the NOPD to complete a thorough investigation, any and all persons that the evidence shows participated in the murder of this elder will be prosecuted to the absolute fullest extent of the law."
Two Takeaways from the Deadly Carjacking
1. If we haven't been warned enough about the violent nature of carjackings, we all need to wake up and admit the serious nature of this crime. Most of us spend a large amount of time in and around our vehicles. The transitory nature of areas like parking lots and convenience stores gives plenty of opportunities for criminals to look for vulnerable people. Take a look at this video and look at the pattern the teens exhibit as they look for -- and pick out Ms. Frickey as a target. The report below says the male attacking Ms. Frickey "maced her" and physically assaulted her has he tried to pull her out of the car.
2. Juveniles can be violent. And packs of juveniles can be excessively violent. We don't have the requisite expertise to be able to explain why. We only have incidents like this and others that have been publicized which are a warning to realize juveniles can be violent. It's another sign of our continued fracturing of social and cultural norms.
Stay vigilant. Stay prepared. Stay safe.