Adults like to think of kids as the embodiment of innocence—and in a lot of ways, they are. But…remember what it was like to actually be a kid? Did other kids seem innocent to us then? Not so much. The playground could be a battle zone. Gym class could be Lord of the Flies. Kids have strong, complicated emotions just like we do, but without the impulse control that comes with a fully-developed prefrontal cortex. Most of the time, the worst thing that comes from that is a tantrum in the middle of Costco, or a loud, teary breakup in the middle school cafeteria that ends up going viral on TikTok. But for some kids, just like some adults, the outcome is much, much darker. Case 1: The story of a 14 year old aspiring serial killer who murdered his unsuspecting best friend. Case 2: A greedy young man took the lives of his entire family just to inherit some cash.

Sources:
A&E's "American Justice," episode “Millions of Reasons to Kill”
Court papers: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCOURTS-caed-1_06-cv-00186/pdf/USCOURTS-caed-1_06-cv-00186-7.pdf
LA Times: https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-may-13-mn-49271-story.html
Chicago Tribune: https://www.chicagotribune.com/1997/05/19/2-cops-work-5-years-to-prove-son-had-family-killed/
Investigation Discovery's "Signs of a Psychopath," episode "I'm Not the Monster I Was"
Medium, Rivy Lyon: https://medium.com/the-crime-center/14-year-old-lures-friend-to-a-gruesome-death-in-middle-school-bathroom-b5ee8df8e915
The Ledger: https://www.theledger.com/story/news/2004/03/20/state-releases-teen-slaying-suspects-journal/26105617007/

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