Youngest Murderer's Trial Shocks Nation
Update: 2025-12-14
Description
In May 1929, a shocking murder in Paintsville, Kentucky, involving a six-year-old boy, Carl Newton Mahan, highlighted the desperate poverty in the Appalachian foothills. After shooting eight-year-old Cecil Van Hoose over a piece of scrap metal, Carl was on trial for manslaughter. Despite the gravity of the crime, the jury deliberated for only thirty minutes and the judge sentenced him to fifteen years in reform school, but released him on bail. The case sparked a national debate, with some believing the sentence was too lenient and others too harsh. Ultimately, Kentuckys Attorney General allowed Carl to remain with his parents, marking a complex and poignant example of juvenile crime and justice in the early twentieth century.
The Daily News Now! — Every city. Every story. AI-powered.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Comments
In Channel
Download from Google Play
Download from App Store
United States00:00
00:00
x
