After watching Cristian Fernandez on Juvenile Lifers, I have no idea where I stand. Cristian was the youngest person charged as an adult with first-degree murder in Jacksonville history. Cristian was charged after shoving his 2 year old half brother into a bookshelf and he later died from his injuries. Cristian claimed he was at home with his younger brother and called his mom to say the 2 year old little brother had hurt himself.

Now this story is actually really sad to me for several reasons. One being that his mother got pregnant with him after being raped at the age of 12. His grandmother had custody of both of them, but she was a drug addict. Cristian was later turned over into foster care and his mother joined him in the same foster home. She transitioned out of foster care and got custody of Cristian. She ended up with a new boyfriend and he would abuse Cristian. Cristian even showed up to elementary school with his face beaten and at the hospital they determined he had fractured ribs as well. Police had thought that his mother was lying about what had happened and they even have Cristian on tape rehearsing what he was supposed to say to the police. Cristians mother convinced him to say he did it and take a plea deal so the case wouldn’t go to trial and he agreed. Cristian told his lawyer that he remembered his mother being very angry and upset and watching his mother beat his younger brother with what he thought was hairbrush. Then she stormed off and left him there with his younger brother. He said his mother later came back and seemed very “remorseful.” She took Cristian to school the next morning and then got her 2 year old, David, help. They also discovered that Cristian was never offered to be questioned with a parent present and he also thought that his statements would stay between him and the person questioning him. They determined he didn’t even understand his rights or what a lawyer does to protect him. They also held him in solitary confinement for a while (I don’t remember how long it was 🤔) instead of making arrangements for him to stay in a juvenile facility.

So at 12 years old, Cristian was facing a mandatory life sentence and being tried as an adult. He ended up pleading guilty as a juvenile to manslaughter and aggravated battery. He was released from the Department of Juvenile Justice on his 19th birthday in January 2018. Upon his release on the manslaughter charge, he has to serve 8 years probation as part of the aggravated battery charge.

So, do you think juveniles should be able to be charged as adults and given mandatory life sentences?