United States v. Juvenile Male
United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York
August 6, 2018, Decided; August 6, 2018, Filed
Core Terms: juvenile, murders, weighs, gang, rehabilitation, adult, factors, Male, join, violent, district court, statutory factors, months old, participate, counseling, balancing, concludes, maturity, Female, arrive, interest of justice, alleged offense, psychological, immaturity, programs, seventeen years, grandmother, transferred, marijuana use, favors
Counsel: For the United States: Richard P. Donoghue, U. S. Attorney, Paul G. Scotti, Assistant U. S. Attorney, Eastern District of New York, Central Islip, New York.
For Juvenile Male, Defendant: Joseph W. Ryan, Jr., Joseph W. Ryan, Jr. P.C., Melville, New York.
Judges: JOSEPH F. BIANCO, United States District Judge.
Opinion by: JOSEPH F. BIANCO
Opinion:
JOSEPH F. BIANCO, District Judge:
美国诉青少年男性案
美国纽约东部地方法院
2018 年 8 月 6 日判决；2018 年 8 月 6日存档
核心术语：青少年；谋杀，有影响或有分量；团伙；改造；成年人；要素；男性；加入；暴力的；地方法院；法定要素；月龄；参与；心理；咨询；权衡；结论；成熟度；女性；达到；司法公正；所控罪行；心理学的；不成熟；计划；十七岁；祖母/外祖母；被移送的；吸食大麻；支持
律师：代表美国：理查德·P·多诺霍；美国联邦检察官；保罗·G·斯科蒂，美国联邦检察官授权助理；纽约东部地区，中艾斯利普市，纽约。
代表青少年男性，被告人：小约瑟夫·W·瑞恩，小约瑟夫·W·瑞恩顾问团，梅尔维尔，纽约。
法官：约瑟夫·F·比安科，联邦地方法院法官。
由约瑟夫·F·比安科法官判决
判决意见：
约瑟夫·F·比安科，地方法院法官：
On July 10, 2017, the government filed a Juvenile Information against defendant Juvenile Male ("the defendant"), charging him with one count of racketeering by engaging in conspiracy to murder and murder, 18 U. S. C. 1962(c); one count of racketeering conspiracy, 18 U. S. C. 1962(d); one count of conspiracy to murder rival gang members, 18 U. S. C. 1959(a)(5); and four counts of murder, 18 U.S.C. 2, 1959(a)(1). These charges relate to the alleged murders of Justin L., Michael L., Jorge T., and Jefferson V in a wooded area near the Central Islip Recreational Center in Central Islip, New York on April 11, 2017 ("the April 11 murders").
2017 年 7 月 10 日，美国政府提交了一份关于青少年男性被告人（即“被告人”）的资料，指控其犯有一项参与共谋谋杀罪及谋杀罪，18 U.S.C. § 1962(c)（《美国法典第18 编第 1962(c)节》）；一项共谋欺诈罪，18 U.S.C. § 1962(d)（《美国法典第 18 编第1962(d)节》）；一项共谋谋杀敌对团伙成员罪，18 U.S.C. § 1959(a)(5)《美国法典第 18编第 1959(a)(5)节》）；及四项谋杀罪 18 U.S.C. §§ 2, 1959(a)(1)（《美国法典第18编第2,1959(a)(1)节》）。上述指控与2017年 4 月 11 日发生在纽约中艾斯利普市娱乐中心丛林地带的谋杀案（“四·一一谋杀案”）相关。贾斯汀·L，迈克尔·L，乔治·T，及杰弗逊·V 四人在该案中被谋杀。
Before the Court is the government's motion under 18 U.S.C. 5032 to transfer the case to district court in order to prosecute the defendant as an adult. On July 19, 2018, after receiving written submissions from the parties, the Court held a hearing on the motion. This Memorandum and Order contains the Court's findings under 18 U. S. C. 5032.
政府依据《美国法典》第18 编第5032 节向本庭移送议案，要求本庭将该案件移送至地方法院以将被告人作为成年人起诉。2018 年 7 月 19 日，收到当事人书面意见书后，本庭就该议案召开听证会。以下备忘录及裁决意见包含本庭依据《美国法典》第 18 编第5032节得出的调查结果。
After carefully analyzing the required statutory factors, the Court concludes in its discretion that, not with standing the statutory presumption in favor of juvenile adjudication, the government has rebutted that presumption and met its burden of proving by a preponderance of the evidence that the defendant's transfer to adult status is warranted. In particular, as discussed in detail below, although the defendant's age at the time of the offense (fifteen years, eleven months) and some other factors weigh against transfer, the balancing of all the statutory factors clearly supports transfer of the defendant to adult status in the interest of justice.
在详细分析必需的法定要素后，本庭行使自由裁量权裁定如下：尽管法律推定支持该案按照青少年犯罪审判，但政府驳回了该推定，并履行了举证责任提供充分证据表明有权将被告人移送为成年人身份进行审判。特别是在以下详细讨论中，尽管被告人犯罪时的年龄（十五岁十一个月）及其他要素不利于案件移送，但权衡所有法定要素后的结果清晰地表明将被告人转为为成年人审判符合司法公正。
First, the nature of the alleged offenses overwhelmingly favors, in the interest of justice, transferring the case to district court to try the defendant as an adult. The defendant is charged with actively participating in four brutal murders for La Mara Salvatrucha, a violent street gang also known as the MS-13. The defendant's alleged participation in this premeditated, brutal execution of four young victims, by itself, warrants giving more weight to this factor than any other factor. However, the defendant's alleged extensive role in the crime makes this factor even more compelling in this case. The government asserts that the defendant was motivated to commit the murders in order to elevate his status in the gang and that he had the following alleged role: (1) the defendant participated in multiple meetings where the plan was discussed and designed in the weeks leading up to the murders; (2) on the day of the murders, the defendant communicated with two juvenile females, who were luring the intended victims into the woods where gang members were lying in wait to carry out the murders; (3) in this pivotal role, the defendant passed along updates to his fellow gang members as to the location and estimated arrival time of the victims; and (4) when the victims arrived, the defendant (using a machete) and his fellow gang members brutally attacked and killed the four victims. A defendant who is alleged to have actively participated in these murders in this depraved, premeditated way is extremely violent and dangerous to society, and is unlikely to be rehabilitated within the juvenile justice system, especially given the limited sentencing options available in that system if the defendant were found guilty (such as the statutory maximum of five years' incarceration). In short, in the Court's view, given the gravity of the alleged crimes and the defendant's alleged extensive role in these crimes, this is the most critical factor in this particular analysis and is a compelling factor in favor of transfer.
第一，从维护司法公正角度看，被告人被控行为罪行的性质压倒性支持将案件移送至地方法院，将被告人作为成年人身份审判。被告人被控为街区暴力团伙拉·马拉·萨尔瓦多帮（又称“萨尔瓦多十三人”）积极参加四项残忍谋杀案。被告人被控参与预谋残杀四名年轻受害者，这一要素本身就应被给予比其他要素更多的量刑。而且被告人被控广泛参与此次犯罪活动，使得该法定要素在本案中更应得到重视。政府坚称被告人为提升在帮派中的地位积极参与谋杀，并且被控完成了下列任务：（1）在谋杀案案发生前数周内参与多次会议，讨论并设计谋杀方案；（2）在谋杀案案发当日，联络两名青少年女性，由此二人将受害者引入丛林，团伙成员在林中埋伏以实施谋杀；（3）发挥关键作用，为同伙通风报信以定位受害者并估算其到达时间；并且（4）在受害者到达后（使用砍刀）与同伙残忍袭击并杀害四名受害者。被告人被控以不良的、有预谋的方式积极参与谋杀，极为暴力的，对社会危害性极大，特别是考虑到即便被告人被判有罪，该审判体系的量刑方式有限（如法定最高监禁年限为五年），则其在青少年犯审判体系内改过自新的可能性极低。简言之，鉴于被告人犯罪性质的严重性，同时其被控广泛参与上述犯罪行为，本庭认为“所控罪行的性质”这一要素是本次案情分析的最关键要素，也是支持移送案件的最有说服力的要素。
Second, although the defendant was under sixteen at the time of the offense, other aspects of the second factor—the defendant's age and social background —favor transfer. The defendant had the benefit of a supportive family in El Salvador, as well as the United States(where he lived with his mother). According to the defendant's own expert(Dr. Eric Goldsmith), he became disobedient in El Salvador and began interacting with MS—13 gang members. In fact, the defendant was sent to the United States for the specific reason of preventing him from joining the gang. Nevertheless, upon arriving to the United States, he rejected the support structure his mother tried to provide, and instead almost immediately chose to become a member of the MS-13 gang, with full knowledge of its violent nature and mission. In addition, the defendant is now seventeen years old and is close to the age of maturity, which weighs slightly in favor of transfer. In short, the Court finds that, given that the defendant allegedly committed the murders despite the stabilizing and deterring influences already in his life, the defendant's social background favors transferring him to adult status. There is a substantial risk that, if the defendant is returned to the same family structure that he had at the time he joined the gang and allegedly participated in these murders after five years of incarceration (assuming arguendo that he received the statutory maximum), he would again choose to become part of a criminal organization and engage in new violent activity.
第二，尽管犯罪时被告人不满十六周岁，第二要素的其它方面如：被告人的年龄及社会背景因素却支持移送该案。被告人在萨尔瓦多共和国拥有能支持和理解他的家庭，在美国（与其母亲生活时）也拥有这样的家庭。根据被告人私人医生（艾瑞克·戈登史密斯医生）所述，他在萨尔瓦多时开始变得叛逆并开始与萨尔瓦多十三人团伙成员接触。事实上，将被告人送往美国正是为了阻止其加入该犯罪团伙。然而，到达美国后，被告人拒绝了其母亲尝试提供的帮助计划，取而代之的是其在完全知晓萨尔瓦多十三人团伙暴力性质及活动宗旨的前提下，几乎第一时间就选择成为了团伙的一员。此外，被告人现年十七周岁，接近成年，这一点也轻微支持将其移送审判。简言之，尽管在生活中已经有人促使被告人稳定生活，阻止其堕落，但被告人仍被控犯下谋杀罪，鉴于上述原因，本庭认为被告人的社会背景因素支持将其移送为成年人审判。假设被告人被判处法定最高的五年监禁，在刑满释放后他将重返同样的家庭环境，当时正是在这样的家庭环境中被告人加入了犯罪团伙并被控参与了系列谋杀，那么被告人仍有极高风险成为犯罪组织成员并参与新的暴力行动。
Third, the defendant's minimal juvenile record weighs against transfer, but as explained below, the Court finds that, in the instant case, after balancing all the statutory factors (including this one), transfer is in the interest of justice.
第三，被告人实施青少年犯罪的最低年龄记录一项因素不支持将其移送审判，但正如下文所释，本庭认为在本案中，权衡包括本要素在内的所有法定要素后，将其移送审判符合司法公正。
