Nathaniel Brazil Case Study

Nathaniel Brazill, a 13 year old student of Lake Worth Middle School, located in Lake Worth, Florida. Brazill was known as a fun and loving student, involved in the school band, enjoyed chess and was a known prankster. He was voted student of the month in December of 1999, by his beloved teacher Mr. Grunow. It came to a shock to the teachers and students of Lake Worth when Nathaniel had shot and killed one of his teachers on the last day of school. This teacher happened to be the same teacher who nominated Nate as student of the month, Mr. Grunow.
How It Began On May 26, 2000, Nathaniel being the prankster he is, had brought water balloons to fill up on the last day of school. Nate had also brought flowers he was planning

He went back home to retrieve a silver .25-caliber pistol, and with another student witness alerting school authorities that Brazill said he was going to harm the counselor. "He took the gun, he pointed it at Barry, he racked the chamber ... he pointed it at his head, he braced himself to shoot, he pulled the trigger and ran away," he said. "Where is the gray area?”. This was quoted by Kurt Grunrow, Barry’s brother. Defenders of Nathaniel argued that with Nate’s age and history that this was something out of trauma. The jurors were debating if it was either first or second degree murder. If first degree, Nathan would have to face a mandatory life sentence without the possibility of parole. This would have also gone against the laws surrounding children who commit such acts in Florida. The second-degree conviction carries a sentence from 25 years to life. At the end the jurors decided, the verdict was 28 years in prison. 13-year old Nate was tried as an adult, making it 28 years in adult

Given that he was nowhere near 18 at the time, and with his past of witnessing abuse in his home. Nate could have been rehabilitated instead, and sent to a juvenile prison. Brazill possibly had something psychologically wrong with him, and also had access to a gun. This is where the adult in this case should have been to blame, even Barry’s wife stressing about parents keeping their weapons away from children and secured. Given his witness of abuse at his home he must have had to have been influenced by it to solve this issue of him getting suspended. Yes, Nate does deserve a punishment for killing someone and taking their life away. At the end of the day, he should not have been tried as an adult when he was only 13 when the incident