"Where do these acts of violence stop?" asked Joseph Meyer, whose family was victimized Saturday.
People on his quiet Webster street also want to know why the 14-year-old has been released to the custody of his father rather than being held in a secure location. "I wouldn't want anything like this to happen again. It's just got to stop," said Meyer.
He stands in his mother's house which is suddenly way too quiet. The constant chirping of birds, a gift to his mother from his now deceased father, is gone. Nearly every window in the back of the house carries a reminder of damage from a BB gun allegedly shot from the neighbor's back yard.
Thirteen holes in one bedroom pane show an alarming level of violence. "I know people whose kids have had trouble with the law for less offenses, those not nearly as violent, and being minors were put into juvenile detention," he said.
Instead, the teenager was released with the condition that he be continually supervised.
13WHAM News obtained the juvenile risk assessment form used by the state. It's called DRAI (Detention Risk Assessment Instrument) and contains four questions on a point system for determining risk.
The burglary charge was enough to add a point and require the supervision. Any further detention would have required evidence of possible petitions or warrants already pending in family court.
Sources tell 13WHAM the allegations of past abuse involving family dogs may have only come to light after Saturday's incident. They are currently being investigated by Humane Society Investigators.
Dr. Santo Bentivegna is a psychiatrist and forensic expert in cases involving children who behave violently, including those who abuse animals. "These are warning signs, and I think police have to be notified when they see these things," he said. "This is not a joke. This is not something that is going to go away without help."
The family's African Gray Parrot and 9-year-old daughter's bearded dragon were killed after being shot at close range by a BB gun.
The Meyers say their cat was spared only because it ran and hid in the basement. Lights turned on in the basement indicate to them the teen went down there, perhaps following the frightened cat. A larger bird and bearded lizard were shot to death.
The teenager allegedly told police he crushed her two cockatiels named Dracula and Valerie in his own hands. "That is a sign of very deep aggression and deep rage," said Dr. Bentivegna. "It's not enough to use a weapon of some sort, but one has to use one's own hands."
New York law allows juveniles as young as 13 to be charged as adults for high level crimes. In this case, the teen is charged with Burglary 3rd and Criminal Mischief; both are low-level felonies which do not qualify.
No one answered the door at the teen's house Tuesday. On Monday night, an adult there called this a "personal matter" and asked reporters to leave. Joseph Meyer said the single father was a good man and neighbor but he remains concerned. "This yard and this community are full of pets. (the teenager) can step over that fence and have the opportunity to harm another animal," he said.
(13WHAM - Dec 15, 2015)
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