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Jonathan had a futureSunday, January 20, 2008By Carol McClard The McClard family always thought Jonathan McClard deserved punishment. We are not interested in political correctness, as was mentioned in a Speak Out comment. The vindictiveness of the prosecution never considered the circumstances and went with the harshest punishment. And, yes, the result was death. The other two in the so-called triangle still have life and a future to make of what they will. Jonathan is the only one who is dead. All these young people were immature and making the wrong choices. The result is a tragedy all around. Jonathan is the only one dead and without the future he could have had if given a chance. Is it up to Cape Girardeau County Prosecuting Attorney Morley Swingle to decide if Jonathan could be rehabilitated? The dual-jurisdiction program is in place to do just that. The director of the program testified he would accept Jonathan. In an article in the Southeast Missourian, Swingle stated that Jonathan's crime was "one of the most premeditated, cold-blooded crimes in the history of the city." Does he compare this with the Timothy Krajcir case? Or on the same level as the Jackson man who had an arsenal of guns in his home and murdered his family and killed himself? Does he consider them the same? Swingle and Judge David Dolan must have seen Jonathan the same as these mature men. The dual-jurisdiction program had evaluated Jonathan and testified in court they wanted him in the program. Jonathan took his GED test while being held at the correctional facility in Bowling Green, Mo. He passed with a grade in the 99 percentile for the nation. The percentage of youths who are successful in the dual-jurisdiction program is high. Jonathan had a bright future and would be alive today if he had seen even a glimmer of hope. Jonathan's family feels so strongly about the dual-jurisdiction program. Jonathan's case would have still been under Judge Dolan, and the judge would have reviewed the case at the end of Jonathan's time in the dual-jurisdiction program. If the judge felt at that time that Jonathan need to go into the general prison population, that could have happened. Jonathan didn't get that chance. Carol McClard of Jackson is Jonathan McClard's grandmother. Comments  Note: The nature of the Internet makes it impractical for our staff to review every comment. If you feel that a comment is offensive, please Login or Create an account first, and then you will be able to flag a comment as objectionable. Please also note that those who post comments on semissourian.com may do so using a screen name, which may or may not reflect a website user's actual name. Readers should be careful not to assign comments to real people who may have names similar to screen names. Refrain from obscenity in your comments, and to keep discussions civil, don't say anything in a way your grandmother would be ashamed to read.
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Boo Freakin Hoo.....Everyone forgets the guy that will be in a wheelchair FOREVER! And she should fact check a little here before she goes off on Morley. When he said the worst crime the CITY has seen. Thats a city called JACKSON...NOT CAPE where Krajcir did his deeds..also the Jackson man killing all his family members was AFTER this MCclard thingy...If your gonna make statements like that you should think them out before they make you look uneducated. Then the uneducatedness spreads like a disease with others and then you have alot of morons instead of a few. People need to get over this and to keep blaming Morley is the dumbest stuff I've ever seen. Im sure Carol McClard would be screaming bloody murder if this story was the other way around and her son was paralyzed and the other kid got a get out of jail free card. He made the decision to try and kill...and try he did...he didnt run away scared like a heat of the moment crime...he walked up slowly and shot the kid again while he was pleading. Then drinks a soda? Then gets a tear drop tattoo? Then shows no remorse? No apology? I applaud Morley for DOING HIS JOB. And Jonathan made the choice to kill himself..nobody did it for him..and as far as im concerned he saved alot of taxpayer dollars and future hurt to others. 10-8
The boy is not in a wheelchair.He is walking with a limp.Jonathan is dead,but whose fault is that?It's his.He killed himself.Now,how selfish is that?He hurt more people doing that than when he shot Voshage.Oh,well,what's done is done.
If he was such a good kid he wouldn't have done what he did!I feel it goes to show you he was always bailed out of trouble by his parents or Granny!Maybe they ought to accept some of the blame instead of looking to blame everyone else!!!!!!!!!!!
THE VOSHAGE BOY IS NOT PARALYZED. HE IS WALKING. ALL THREE KIDS SHOULD HAVE GOTTEN IN TROUBLE. NOT JUST JONATHON. JONATHON DID SHOOT SOMEONE COLDBLOODED, THOUGH.. YOU KNOW, ONE THING IS, NOONE TALKS ABOUT IS THIS WAS NOT JONATHONS FIRST CHANCE, HE WAS A TROUBLEMAKER SINCE A SMALL CHILD, HE SHOULD HAVE GOTTEN THE HARSHEST PUNISHMENT. I AM NOT SAYING HE SHOULD HAVE DIED, BUT IN REALITY, HE IS THE ONE WHO DID THAT, NOT MORLEY OR THE JUDGE. GRAMMA, YOUR GRANDSON DID THIS TO HIMSELF. NOONE DID THIS FOR HIM. IF HE HAD BEEN THE VICTIM IN THIS CASE, YOU WOULD BE SCREAMING FOR THE HARSHEST PUNISHMENT FOR HIM. SORRY, THAT IS JUST THE TRUTH. NOONE WANTS TO ADMIT THAT...
Cape Cop:
Are you a police officer? Maybe your supervisor needs to know what type of person they are paying a salary to. Where did you get your story from. Some of your buddies in the Jackson Police force. What a cruel, hateful person you are. To actually make a comment like this to an older person who lost her grandson. It really makes me wonder who the evil people really are after reading the comments I have seen here.
One more thing,
This case will stick with your buddy Morley Swingle for the rest of his life. People here and elsewhere will not forget the callous remarks that came from his mouth after the boy killed himself. They will not also forget how he prosecutes some people more rigorously then others depending on who their family is. I have given copies of the articles concerning this case to a number of family members who live in large cities who are dumbfounded at the punishment given to this boy. One happens to be a writer for a large national magazine in Chicago.
People in Chicago don't vote here. I do and I am thankful to have a PA that isn't afraid to stand up to criminals that lure and shoot people. I'm sure the family of the young man is in pain but Morely didn't shoot him, he did it himself.
As a family they of course should love this man unconditionaly. That aside it is not reasonable to blame the judge, PA and even the VICTIMS for his actions. All of this things have been done and its time to stop. I don't see how him getting his GED stands in for his actions.
Grandma, me think thou protest too much. Please give it a rest. Your blaming everyone else is not going to change the fact that Jonathan committed suicide. Its not anyone else's fault. He chose to kill himself. Its not callous to call his actions exactly what they are. My heart goes out to you only because you refuse to see the truth for what it is. Your grandson is dead. He is not coming back. No one reading the paper will ever change their view because you say so but they will continue to change their view of you and your ranting about the law, the judicial system and how unfairly your grandson was treated.
Please find some way to get peace and mourn privately. The stress you are creating in yourself will become hatred and eventually take its toll on you. You can either live your life trying to vindicate something your feel is unjust or your can live your life for the grandchildren you have remaining. As with Jonathan, you have choices. Please don't continue to chose the wrong one.
This is the second letter from Granny since this crimminal took his life. I applaud the fact that we have a PA in this area that is not afraid to prosecute punks that try to slide by because of age. In all the comments and news articles prior to this crimminal taking his life I not once saw anthing to say that he was going to kill himself. He was just as calculating in taking his life as he was when he did his crime.
This all goes back to responsibility. This crimminal showed no remorse during this process until he was interviewed with the tear drop and only then did he show a "hint" of remorse. He was responsible for his actions during the crime and when he took his life. No one is to blame but him. According to Granny everyone else in the process who did their jobs are to blame.
Cape Cop you are right on and if you are really a cop then I am proud to see someone on the force who can see through this nonsense of blaming everyone but the one doing the crime.
Notfromhere. If granny wants to take center stage and start making baseless comments on how everyone is to blame other than this crimminal then she should be prepared for the comments to follow. I have spoken with many people in my circle of friends/co workers and we are really getting tired of crimminals being protrayed as victims.
The comments are expected yet they are still hurtful. I will pray for everyone that thinks such mean things about us. It's okay because God will forgive you too if you let him.
How about starting that forgiveness cycle with the victims of the crime. Then we can move over to the judge and prosecutor that were just doing the job they were assigned to do? They have done nothing wrong but still get to feel the stain of these "articles" that this paper feels need to be published.
Hey,
More vile, hateful comments. By the way Donnie, Chicagoans don't vote here but I am sure that the good people of Cape Girardeau don't want alot of bad publicity either. And maybe when this story is nationally known laws will be changed to prevent power hungry prosecutors and judges from abusing the power bestowed upon them. It has happened to more than one small town in this country. Keep this mind Donnie.
See there you go again...
"power hungry prosecutors and judges from abusing the power bestowed upon them"
Putting someone in jail for thirty years for luring a person to the carwash, shooting them three times and then watching them twist in pain while you enjoy a soda is not an example of (your words again)
"power hungry prosecutors and judges from abusing the power bestowed upon them"
The article references Timothy Krajcir. Probably not a great place to point to because if he had gotten thirty years for the rape he was convicted on before the murders...
The point is you only see what you want to see. If Judge Dolan had let him go after a few years in some program and he had done these things AGAIN then who would have been at fault? Once a person takes a life or attempts to take a life there can be no second chances. Judge Dolan and the PA would have been putting everyone of us at risk. No thanks.
God bless you and give you peace Mrs. McClard. I know that you are hurting. Try to think on good memories of your grandson and good things. Don't let comments you read here pull you even further into depression. Consider seeing a Christian counselor to work out your feelings and come to some closure. You won't help yourself or change the opinions of others on this site, so take care of yourself by talking to a counselor and to people who love you. I will pray for you and your family.
Donnie,
You only see what you want to see. The bottom line is that you and maybe a few of your friends think that sending a 16 year old boy to prison for 30 years for this shooting is ok but for the rest of us this sentence was too harsh. You probably got your information from the news. I know quite a bit more about what really happened. So I understand a little more than you do. Mr Swingle is like alot of well known people in this area. They are like big fish that live in a small pond. It is very easy for them to abuse the power given to them. In bigger cities you may have that but for the most part prosecutors such as Mr. Swingle don't stay in power long because people will not put up with it. By the way the writer from Chicago is very intersted in this story.
Yes, I absolutely think 30 years for this kind of crime is within the scope of justice. I couldn't possibly care less about what the Chicago media thinks. Big boy crime = big boy time.
notfromhere, i think a 30 year sentence for someone who shot a guy reloaded shot reloaded and shot him for a third time is very deserving, and who really cares about some magazine guy from Chicago and what he thinks
It is a tragedy anytime anyone kills themselves or anyone else. My heart and prayers go out to the McClard family and friends. They have faced more horror in the last couple of years than most families do in a lifetime.
It is also unfortunate that Jonathon never received the psychological help he needed before the whole crime was committed. There are too many people who could be blamed for this crime, but all blame should point towards Jonathon. In the end, he was the one who planned out the crime, loaded the gun multiple times while he shot the victim as many times.
Perhaps 30 years was 15 years too many, but he definitely deserved to go to prison for a long time. Even though God could forgive him (not sure if he repented of sins to God or not), the nation has consequences for breaking the law. He broke the law he deserved to get the consequences.
Blame shouldn't be pointed towards Swingle. He was doing his job. And he did a great job. I doubt the people in Chicago or anywhere else in the country will be alarmed. Stuff like this happens all of the time in big cities like this.
Instead of saying that Jonathon was the victim, let's again look at this in the point of view of the victim. Imagine what was going through his mind when he saw the gun for the first time. Or whenever he was shot and lying on the ground looking up at Jonathon. Maybe he was scared that the next bullet would be in his head or heart? After the 2nd or 3rd time, he hoped that Jonathon would have ran out of bullets. What kind of anguish would he feel as he watched Jonathon crack open a soda?
Stop with the crap about Jonathon being a victim. He took his "hope for a future" out of his own hands. Swingle and Dolan didn't do it. Now Voshage will have to go through the rest of his life with a limp and the nightmare of that life.
As for Jonathon...well...he is in God's court now. Which may not be a happy place depending on his faith.
notfromhere..are you blind? It appears that the majority says Jonathan getting 30 years was deserving so your opinion is the minority here. And Morley has been and will be in power as DA here for a long time. He didnt just get elected in case you havent been around for awhile. Every good law abiding citizen I have ever met love him and I have had the privilege of working with him and I can truly say you guys dont know how lucky we are to have him. Ive worked different jurisdictions where the PA's will plea bargain EVERYTHING out I mean possession of marijuana turns into a muffler violation. So Cape has it real good with Morley. And GMAN most officers can see through the nonsense because we deal with these repeat offenders on a daily basis and Im glad to see some citizens can see the light as well. Its clear Jonathan's parents want to blame everybody else but him and themselves. Where were they when thier kid took a rifle and planned a murder? Where had they been in the past? They need to look in the mirror if they are looking for answers of why their kid did this. Becuase most kids grow up and become what they are from what there parents guide them to be. And it looks like a lack of supervision on there part. But dont tell them that.....To them Morley and the judge should have been holding little Johnnies hand and wiping his butt.
I will say again, Jonathan was a troubled person who probably needed help for years and didn't get it for whatever reason. the situation he was in happens to thousands of people in their lifetimes; jealousy over a lover and not being able to deal with the emotions that jealousy invokes...the only thought is to eliminate the competition which doesn't solve the problem; only adds to it. This wasn't a fist fight between two teenage boys; it was a planned shooting with a loaded gun; it should have been handled as it was.
No hope for Jonathan? I have to go with with the "boo hoo" line here.
No chance for the future? Not now. Because as usual, little Jonathan took the easy way out. Not caring one bit about who he hurt in the process, not willing to "do what it takes" to start a new path.
His grandmother is still sending in these pleas for justice? Leaves little room to speculate on where Jonathan got his insites and accusing ways doesn't it?
Waaaaahhhhh! I'm with you CapeCop. If this kid wasn't such a 10-96 he wouldn't have caused the 10-15 to make him eventually commit 10-109 and then make the prison guards 10-79. Granny needs to 10-3 and we all need to 10-22 her comments before she starts a 10-34.
Snoots Over and out.
My my, did I stir something up. How easily certain comments here are taken way out of context. Cape Cop you have shown your true colors. I am very surprised that you are foolish enough to identify your profession on a comments page. As for the majority of Cape speaking here, that's riduculus. Let's face it the only people making comments here at all are people with a lot of time on their hands. The majority of Cape's population keeps theirs comments to themselves. Although the people I have talked to about this case agree with me. Jonathan should have gotten a lighter sentence, probably no more than 15 years. And yes national magazines are always interested in stories such as these to bring out injustices in are system.
He got what he deserved for his crime and took it upon himself to kill himself. Whats the big deal?? One less hoodlum I have to pay taxes for...He's probably burning in hell right now for all the sins he's committed.
As for offending anyone, I simply just dont care. One last thing: Grandma, Your an idiot too. --Next subject please.
GG
Personally, I find the fact that the Southeast Missourian felt a need to publish this letter to be troubling, inappropriate, and in bad taste.
Mrs. McClard is entitled to her pain and her opinion, and I am sure we all feel sympathy for her. The problem is that there cannot be a balance to this story. Who is going to champion the other side? Such a person would be chastised for being mean spirited and heartless.
I am very proud of Mr. Swingle and am quite positive that for every 1 person who believes as Mrs. McClard and notfromhere you will find 100 who feel the case was handled, tried, and ruled appropriately.
Personally, I have strong opinions about who is to blame. However, it seems heartless to point to the obvious. One might, however, remind notfromhere and Mrs. McClard that "poor Jonathan" via his premeditated, calculated actions came close to being known by another title: Murderer.
Grandma-
If you and your family would have been as zealous about the life education of this boy than you are defending his good name and potential after he created all this havoc, then this story would have never began. This boy's whole life and everything funneled down to one split second. Everything you and your family had to offer led your precious boy to one single moment. The moment he pointed a gun at another human being and decided to kill him. After that, it doesn't much matter what you want or think. Your arrogance has been astonishing. Your unwillingness to accept responsibility only to deflect that notion to the fault of the prosecutor has been staggering. The boy who got shot, the charges, sentencing, your grandson's suicide....all of this occured based on one decision made by your grandson. A decision that was funneled down to one moment from birth, through all you and your family had to offer in the way of raising a child to be a man, to the second he pulled the trigger. Point your finger anywhere you want to but, before doing so, take a real hard look at the person that that finger is attached to. It is perfectly natural as a family member of someone who commits suicide to send the blame pointer any direction you can but, maybe not the best idea to do it in a public forum. I am sorry for the tribulations your family has gone through because of this ordeal. But, not as sorry as I am for the Voshage family. Maybe, you could spend a little less time and energy praising your grandson and a little more time apologizing for him. I think everytime you present yourself in this manner it is another slap in the face to the family of the real victim in this case. Just my thoughts.
notfromhere, Thank you so much for setting all of us little stupid country bumpkins straight.
Ladybug,
You have a right to your opinion just like I have the right to mine. I personally don't feel that way about Cape/Jackson. I have found most people here to be friendly and nice but some of the comments here I find troubling. It seems that either you believe that Jonathan should have gotten 30 years or your blind, or ignorant of the facts. No middle ground. I am glad that you and others here don't represent the Cape are.
to the dear grandmother of Jonathan McClard continue standing up for your grandson and your family. no matter how mean callous and unsupportive the hateful comments here.
You and i know that jonathan was a young man caught up in the actions and reactions of his peers-all young people without the experience to check thier emotions continually and think before they act-often find themselves in similiar legal situations.
if they are able to check juvenile impulses sucessfully, then sooo-many mistakes could have been prevented in the history of man.
if jonathan knew that what he did was wrong before hand( drugs+diminished capacity) he would not have purposefuly injured the young rival/friend? of his.
so ignore the knuckle draggers,robo-cops,and confused republicons calling nay, screaming about right and justice. file a lawsuit against the state of mo. for allowing your grandson to be in a position(unmonitored and allowed to have dangerous material with which to injure himself.
we also know(world opinion of human beings not the opinion of a few confused individuals in cape and jackson) he should have been in a juvenile facility and morley and the judge know this too) there are rules in place to keep him safe.
corrections personel on duty that night should be fired end of story they were negligent in protecting this young man no matter what the charge.
Missouri department of corrections personel violated those rules. make them admit thier negligence in court. although there is no amount of money which will cover the pain which i know you feel grandmother it was wrong what "they" did.
your grandson should have been afforded protection he was not. i believe that morley swingle,who should not after all these years be the pa and the judge who went along with this conspiracy of thirty years,painting your grandson as unredeemable are both nothing more than incompetant hacks who have blood on thier hands for the death of your grandson.
ditto for all those screaming for vengance. silly rabbit morley dosen't understand that some murderers don't get thirty years for thier crimes.
the sick people with bloodlust comments here must remember "do unto others as you would have them do unto you!" this kill all mentality of torture and abuse now reining in the us inside the courts and throughout the justice system is cause for great alarm.
folks such as morley swingle and the spineless judge who sentenced this young man to thirty years and still view thier actions as just are simply one example of how far and how fast we are becoming the communist nation which was once our enemy.
struggle on grandmother but you must file a lawsuit in order to bring morley and the judges collusion out to the public and hopefully "put morley the secrets man" out to pasture. These people have pimped the taxpayers by living thier entire life "on the dole" never having a job so they think that they have privileges above and beyound those of the people. lastly morley swingle should stop lying in order to cover up this travesty by calling the crime the worst in history.
silly rabbit you know thats not true. a bigger crime and scandal is that he has been p/a for "all" these years with no checks and balances. ask yourself who checks morley???? our prayers are with the grandmother and mcclard family.
to the dear grandmother of Jonathan McClard continue standing up for your grandson and your family. no matter how mean callous and unsupportive the hateful comments here.
You and i know that jonathan was a young man caught up in the actions and reactions of his peers-all young people without the experience to check thier emotions continually and think before they act-often find themselves in similiar legal situations.
if they are able to check juvenile impulses sucessfully, then sooo-many mistakes could have been prevented in the history of man.
if jonathan knew that what he did was wrong before hand( drugs+diminished capacity) he would not have purposefuly injured the young rival/friend? of his.
so ignore the knuckle draggers,robo-cops,and confused republicons calling nay, screaming about right and justice. file a lawsuit against the state of mo. for allowing your grandson to be in a position(unmonitored and allowed to have dangerous material with which to injure himself.
we also know(world opinion of human beings not the opinion of a few confused individuals in cape and jackson) he should have been in a juvenile facility and morley and the judge know this too) there are rules in place to keep him safe.
corrections personel on duty that night should be fired end of story they were negligent in protecting this young man no matter what the charge.
Missouri department of corrections personel violated those rules. make them admit thier negligence in court. although there is no amount of money which will cover the pain which i know you feel grandmother it was wrong what "they" did.
your grandson should have been afforded protection he was not. i believe that morley swingle,who should not after all these years be the pa and the judge who went along with this conspiracy of thirty years,painting your grandson as unredeemable are both nothing more than incompetant hacks who have blood on thier hands for the death of your grandson.
ditto for all those screaming for vengance. silly rabbit morley dosen't understand that some murderers don't get thirty years for thier crimes.
the sick people with bloodlust comments here must remember "do unto others as you would have them do unto you!" this kill all mentality of torture and abuse now reining in the us inside the courts and throughout the justice system is cause for great alarm.
folks such as morley swingle and the spineless judge who sentenced this young man to thirty years and still view thier actions as just are simply one example of how far and how fast we are becoming the communist nation which was once our enemy.
struggle on grandmother but you must file a lawsuit in order to bring morley and the judges collusion out to the public and hopefully "put morley the secrets man" out to pasture. These people have pimped the taxpayers by living thier entire life "on the dole" never having a job so they think that they have privileges above and beyound those of the people. lastly morley swingle should stop lying in order to cover up this travesty by calling the crime the worst in history.
silly rabbit you know thats not true. a bigger crime and scandal is that he has been p/a for "all" these years with no checks and balances. ask yourself who checks morley???? our prayers are with the grandmother and mcclard family.
wyndiciti-
How do you expect anyone to take you seriously? Now you run on back to the hooked-on-phonics curriculum at Sylvan and let the grown ups talk. Are you kidding me. Let's all shed a tear for the would-be murderer and the people who raised him. Let's file a lawsuit and sue everyone we can so we can prove it was everyone's fault except the actual people who are at fault. Do me a favor, take your oatmeal, go climb a redwood tree and scream how weed should be legal. Let me guess, you blame that on Morley Swingle too? You are an idiot!
...and so it was , and so it will be ..
Bloody
Now I'm angry. A lot of you keep saying Jonathan had a future. He gave up the right to have a future when he tried to destroy someone elses. The only future he deserved was that of a convicted phelon. He just wasn't man enough to face it. I'm done.
Excuse me...convicted felon. Now I am done.
Why doesn't the newspaper do a story on how the victim in this shooting and his family are coping? Update the public on his progress. That would be my interest in this case.
The boy who pulled the trigger made some horrible choices. I do feel sorry for his family. Judgement is in God's hands now, not mans. I hope his family might find comfort in prayer with the one who's company he is in now.
As for the victim and his family prayers are powerful. I hope everyone will continue to pray for his recovery.
Jonathon didn't deserve the moment of silence at Jackson High. Hopefully they don't donate a yearbook page to them or a wall plaque in his memory. The sooner the general public forgets about him, the better.
You know, it could have been any of our children that chose the wrong path. And I'm so sorry for your loss Grandma, but they are right, he did this himself. I can only hope and pray that if my children take the wrong path that I'll be able to handle it. Someone said it was all in how he was raised. That may be true, I don't know. It isn't always the case though. But I do agree he needed harsh punishment for a harsh crime.
I think that everyone has forgotton the reason for the conflict in the first place. Seems that I read in this paper sometime ago that it began by someone getting someone else who was pregnant, to use drugs resulting in the death (or miscarrage of a baby that belonged possibly to Johnathan).. Is this true and if it is is this being looked at as a crime?...After all a baby after conception is considered a living being.
I am sorry for your family's loss, but he shot a person, and he needed to be punished, so he was sent to jail. He then in return took his own life, that isn't anyones fault but his own. I do feel bad that he thought death would be better than prison, obviously he was a very troubled teen to begin with
Do not be fooled by the power a young girl can have over a young boy; especially if the boy already has issues that were missed by the system, and she knows it. She needs to answer some questions. If there was a "drug induced miscarriage", that resulted in the death of an unborn child, as is alleged here, then what did she tell the boy that prompted the hit? The boy may have felt his child was killed, and that there was no justice to be had because the system had let him down so many times. Perhaps taking the law into his own hands was all he could rationalize.
I don't approve of what he did and he should have received some punishment. His actions indicate those of a father that would hurt somebody real bad which, he was made to believe, killed his child. That could explain the vengeful way in which he went about the crime. He may have flat-out been told that somebody killed his child! How cold and calculating could YOU be if someone killed your child? This case was handled wrong by his attorney who seems to have completely missed the defense that a girl had made him crazy, and it was temporary insanity. The girl has some questions to answer about her alleged comments.
Seems like nobody has taken into account what caused the frame of mind to make a kid snap like that. It is just another cut and dried example of the whole truth not coming out. He was guilty, but why? What caused it? Was he crazy at the time; crazy with the thought planted in his head that the girl he loved had lost her child, that he thought might be his own? Crazy that the girl may have told him she was being forced to do drugs. Could it be that he was protecting her, in the only way a young undeveloped mind might think. Especially, a young mind that was clouded by drugs and his own problems because a flawed system either missed it or didn't care. Even though the crime was severe, he didn't kill the boy and I don't think it was because he was a bad shot.
Too much is unanswered. He was left in the hands of an, evidently, incompetent lawyer. The system, that failed him, went for the big kill; sending him off to be tortured at the hands of adults, at age 17. I think the boy gave up the ghost because he knew what was going to happen to him. I don't think the truth came out at all. I think he was used as an example. It's like he was convicted without anybody bothering to ask: "Why did you do that"? What caused this?
Like all the other stories that come out around here, I will also ask of this one: what actually happened? There will, most likely, be no REAL ANSWERS about McClard, Moshiri, or Moore; all cases involving children in Jackson MO. Doesn't anyone expect answers? Where is the early intervention? That's a real shame! God bless the families that must be asking these questions. It's time for some real changes in the system and I hope none of you common people ever have to face the quick-disposal, answerless, all powerful system that currently exists. Good luck if you do; unless of course you are entitled to special treatment.
TG,
I am sure that a woman has a big pull over Jonathon. If she did have a drug induced miscarriage and the boy assisted, then I am sure that Jonathon was extremely upset.
I am not sure Jonathon valued life though. Sure, he could have killed Voshage. Thank God that he didn't. But he did kill himself. And he is the only person responsible for that. Swingle didn't rip up the bed sheets, his defense lawyer didn't tie the knot around his head. His girlfriend didn't push him off whatever he was standing on. Jonathon did it.
Would I be upset if my precious little boy was killed? You better believe it! Will I kill over it? Never. It is not up to me to be the judge/jury/executor. That has been given to the government.
That is the difference between us and him. He took matters into his own hands. He willingly ruined the lives of many people. He deserves his punishment. May God have mercy on his soul. Lord knows that Jonathon didn't know how to serve up a side dish of mercy.
It never ceases to amaze me what people will write when given a little anonymity.
TG,
Very well put. That is why the writer from Chicago is interested in this story. This was more than just a random shooting. All three parties, the girl, the victum and the shooter were doing drugs and involved in illegal activities. I can only hope that the two survivors of this tragedy realize the error in their ways and change before any
other lives are destroyed.
gehegge:
What would you have done in Jonathan's shoes? How would have reacted to being sentenced to 30 years in an adult prison that you know is essentially a living death. How would you have reacted when you were 16 years old? Mr. Morley knew and did not care. He knew this child had many problems and did not care. He knew all the circumstance of this case and still did not care. He is an adult and thought of his own gain instead of what was truly the best punishment in this case. He chose to ignore the circumstances of this case and decide purely for political reasons.
Stop whining grandma mcclard your
grandson did a horrible crime to another
person and he deserved to be punished
i thing 30 years was a little harsh
i think 15 years would have been good
enough in a state prison. not the
dual jurdication that sure would
not have been justice.
Stop whining grandma Mcclard your
grandson did a terrible crime to
another person and he deserved
to be punished I think 30 years
was a little harsh . It my opion
15 years in a state prison would
have been good enough. The dual
jurdication the family wanted
wouldn't have been harsh enough
notfromhere,
What would I have done if I was Jonathon?
What a great question! First, I would have sought some help from Jackson High, the police dept., my family, etc. The crime of his girlfriend is too serious to take it upon myself to act on.
Then, I would have confronted the individuals with an officer of the law or a trusted adult. This would mean that I would not bring a loaded gun and $1.25 for the soda.
If harassment continued, then I would have gone back to the authorities. That is the reason why they are there. Jonathon is not the first guy to have his girlfriend make a major mistake.
How would I react to being in Jonathon's shoes whenever I heard I got the 30 years in prison?
I would have been devastated. Who wouldn't? Would I kill myself? No. Hopefully by then, the authorities would have taught me that life is precious and my actions have consequences. Apparently Jonathon didn't learn that lesson because he lynched himself.
Mr. Morley cared about the people who were hurt in this situation. Jonathon was not hurt. The only pain he got out of a trial was that stupid tattoo. Morley was doing his job. Anybody that goes about assaulting someone like he did has problems. Not everyone can be put in a psych ward for 6 months and then released from prison. ANYBODY WHO DOES THIS CRIME IS NOT A SANE AND BALANCED INDIVIDUAL!
As for his gain, Morley would have been more scrutinized if he let him get off easy. Can you quote an article in which he states that he prosecuted in such a way for political reasons? If this is going to be a "fact" for some unknown hotshot magazine writer, then surely you would have a source?
notfromhere, have you thought about the real victims in all of this? Surely you haven't because you have been blinded by the media because you think Jonathon is the only victim in this case.
What would be an appropriate sentence for McClard? You seem to have an idea. Here is your chance.
gehagge stated:
"ANYBODY WHO DOES THIS CRIME IS NOT A SANE AND BALANCED INDIVIDUAL!"
I appreciate that honesty, and I say:
THAT'S EXACTLY THE POINT! So, why was he treated as a "sane and balanced individual"? A combination of things made the boy snap into a crazy rage. It's obvious that he was not sane at the time the crime was committed. WHAT MADE HIM SNAP? Isn't finding out the cause, in order to avoid this sort of thing in the future, also important? Is the truth important at all?
The boy should have been treated as a disturbed individual. I think the guards just turned their backs and let him perform his mercy killing - on himself. Those guards knew the torture he was about to go through. The "legal minds" of this community are beyond comprehension. It was truly temporary insanity, and a combination of things and events caused it. The system missed it repeatedly. The system is doing nothing, to my knowledge, to provide the truth.
I hope the Chicago writer will expose what has happened here, and he can feel free to quote this writer's opinion.
God bless America and free speech!
My point is that all criminals that create this kind of murder are insane. Does that mean that we let them out and commit the murder again? No.
Just imagine if Jonathon was given the minimum sentence - Juvy. He may have been the next one to attempt to murder his family and anyone else who does him wrong. No one wants another Moshiri Massacre on our hands... Then again, you must think that Dad was the true victim. Not the mother, the permanently disabled 2 year old, the permanently dead children. Tell that Chicago reporter to report that.
Do I think the guards are to blame for his suicide? No. Do I think Swingle and anyone else that Grandma hates is to blame for the suicide? No. Jonathon is responsible for Jonathon's death. If he would not have done the crime, then he would not have been put in the position to end his life.
Again...Jonathon is not the victim here. Voshage and his family, the young lady and her family, and the McClards.
Here's a good source for the Chicago writer:
Description of Child Abuse. U. S. Code.
http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/html/u......
I happen to believe, as is atated in the Federal Code, it is not right to torture a 16 or 17 year old child. It's not right for you, me, a cop, a judge, a PA, a garbage man! It's even more wrong to torture a child that is confirmed mentally unbalanced.
Who may be guilty of child abuse here? Read the link and you tell me! A disturbed child is dead.
Swingler's List, is just for a chosen-few entitled to special treatment. There is a double standard that is unacceptable in the Cape Girardeau County, MO Judicial System.
You better believe it because the common man will face it every time!
As far as the Moshiri thing, I have no idea because, still, nobody knows the actual true facts.
As far as the McClard thing, this was a disturbed kid. There are mental facilities for such. There is rehabilitation for such, no matter how many years it takes.
As far as the Moore thing, I have no idea, other than a cop was charged with the wrong charge in accordance with the Federal Code that protects 15 year old children.
Let's not be obtuse here!
TG,
Could you please re-submit that link. I am not getting a file.
What is this torture that they are giving a 16-17 year old man? Last time I looked, prison was a pretty lush place to be. Free cable, housing, and food. You even have a library and an activities coordinator. Jonathon could do what many other criminals do, work hard to be released early.
Sure, he is mentally unstable. You know I will not deny that. But with that argument we should let any criminal that does such a heinous crime get out on reasons of psychological sanity.
I think the punishment fit the crime. It was planned and done in cold blood. McClard meant to permanently injure Voshage. Maybe he thought that was more of a punishment than sudden death. Prison was the right place for him to go. Unfortunately for him, he put himself in danger of going some place a lot worse than jail - Hell. Lord have mercy on his soul.
So who committed child abuse? Jonathon. He hurted himself and Voshage. In a cruel way, justice was served.
gehagge:
We are all entitled to an opinion. I respect that. This will not become an argument.
Mysteriously, I cannot post the entire link??? Sorry!
This is a great link in-general for a public that wants to be informed about legal issues and Federal Codes.
http://www.law.cornell.edu/
Go to it and search any issue you like. It's free.
Good luck!
notfromhere,
I have no problem with you voicing your opinion. What does make me shake my head in wonderment, however is that you seem to think that YOUR opinion is the MAJORITY opinion. If you look at this blog carefully will find that there are many who do not agree with you. That is what I find incredulous. Please, don't act as though you are talking for all of Cape Girardeau and Jackson when it is very obvious that you are not.
What do I think about this situation? I believe it is very tragic. Unavoidable? Yes. But only if the young man would have thought out the consequences of his actions PRIOR to callous pre-meditated attempted murder.
It is apparent that the family of the young man is hurting so badly that they are looking for others to blame for their pain. For all involved I feel terrible. But eventually, they will have to accept the fact that the real victim in all of this is the person who was shot down. Thank God that the wounds inflicted missed the mark just enough to allow the VICTIM to survive.
Enough trying to blame everyone but the one who attempted to murder another human being.
Was the sentence too long, too short, just right? If you really want to affect change, then maybe you could get out there and lobby for change in the judicial system.
IS there any relationship here to the principal of jackson high school? just wondering. That name is familiar...
thanks
GG
Wow, I can't believe anyone is still writing about this. I guess I will respond to comments made about me. First of all, I don't represent the majority anymore that you do. I never said that. It seems that people don't really read what people post here.
Geggehhe, I am glad you are a strong enough individual that you would never have killed yourself under the same circumstances but oviously Jonathan was not and should have been given the benefit of pschiatric care instead of being thrown away. Please, do you honestly think that Jackson High School cares about kids like him? The only thing they care about is inflating their academic status on the backs of kids like Jonathan and Jeremy. What about the victum. A known drug dealer with a criminal background providing drugs to an underage pregnant girl. A wonderful citizen of Jackson. The direction he was going he would have been the next mayor of Jackson (just joking). My question is why wasn't he ever charged with dealing drugs? Why aren't the kids who drove Jonathan to his final destination prosecuted as well? They knew what he was going to do. Their seems to be alot of players in the tragedy. By the way the principal of Jackson High is a relative.
I guess we should just turn prisons into psychiatric wards!
Do I think Jackson High cares about kids like McClard? I have no reason to not think that. Do you know of some examples in which Jackson High shunned teens seeking guidance? Maybe your reporter friend in Chicago knows some examples. Then again...probably not.
If other kids committed crimes that are in connection with McClard, then they should be prosecuted as well. Should they receive the same sentence as McClard? Absolutely not. Maybe they should be admitted into a psych ward...
In the end, Jonathon is STILL responsible for his crime and suicide.
Actually Geghee I do know of kids that Jackson High school left behind. Their is an assistant principal that prides himself in believing that Jackson High doesn't have a drug problem or any problems. He also encourages some students who are not doing well in school to drop out instead of helping them succeed. When you see those type of attitudes in schools you have problems. When towns like to bury problems instead of deal with them you have cases such as Jonathan, Moshiri, and others. I actually have a relative living in Michigan who called me and asked what is wrong with Jackson. She heard on the news about the Moshiri case and McClard case. I really didn't know what to tell her. Most people that live in large cities, like myself think of small towns as places where people can escape the problems of big cities. Unfortunately that is not the case. At least not from what I have seen. The reason I feel so strongly about what happened here is that the kids in this tragedy were time bombs waiting to explode. It is easy to blame the shooter. He shot someone three times. He deserved punishment for what he did. But the victum was a drug dealer. How many kids did he hurt or destroy by selling them drugs. I hope what happened to him will be a wake up call and he will change his life for the better. But he is not completely innocent and when I see that he is portrayed that wait it bothers me. I am sure the parents of the people he sold drugs to don't think of him as a victim.
I have been following this topic for some time and I am horrified at some of things that have been said on here to Jonathans grandmother, dont you know she is upset at what her grandson did, but like everyone else there is nothing she can do about it.I have all kinds of sympathy and compassion for the McClard family, I pray that with prayer there pain will be lessened. I would like to know why Jonathan had to be sent to a maximum security prison why not minimum security, I believe he needed a chance to try and be rehabilitated, and given the help mentally he needed. The boy had to be depressed and why officials didnt see that is unbelievable. My belief here is that the 15 yr. old girl was playing these boys against one another was why this tragedy happened,and I believe if Jonathan had wanted to kill the other boy he would have, you dont shoot someone 3 times and miss vital organs. My last word on this is let Jonathan rest in peace,our god is a forgiving god. .
Notfromhere, you speak very true words. My son was one of those who was encouraged to drop out of Jackson High School. He was failing all of his classes and there was all kinds of problems, serious problems! Thank You Jackson High School principal for encouraging him to drop out. That was the best thing that Jackson High School did for him. You probably saved his life because as soon as he got out of your school, away from the bad peer pressure, he turned his life around. He changed schools, graduated and is now in college with a 4.0 grade average. Can't get much better than that! I shutter to think where he would be if he had not dropped out of Jackson High School when he did. Such a shame Jonathan didn't get the same chance. I wish someone would do something about Jackson High School besides raising taxes! I sickens me to see what I pay in taxes knowing what this school has done for/to my family and many others.
I agree with ya all on most things. However, I think Jackson is a fine school. Now I grad in 2000 so it could have changed. Sure it is not perfect but it is better than . . . Cape.
But, notfromhere I agree with ya on most other things.
God is a loving and forgiving God, only if you call Jesus Lord. Who knows if Jonathon did. I hope he did, but his actions do speak of saving faith.
Obviously, Jonathon did not mean to kill Voshage. He probably wanted him to be crippled for the rest of his life. Maybe he wanted to give him prolonged suffering and a lifetime of thinking about how Voshage wronged him. Sounded like he thought he was God there for a little bit.
Better and more involved parenting = saving of at least two lives. Bad kids = bad parents.
I meant to say that his actions do NOT reflect a saving faith.
Gehagge,
How do you know$ where Jonathan is today. Are you God? Where does it say that suicide is the unpardonable sin? Where? And if you really want to get technical most of Jesus's disciples would have condemmed to death by Mr. Morley's standards. Paul the apostle was a murderer, Peter cut the ear off a soldier. Let's not forget David too. What I have read of Jesus, he reached out to the same people that many of you making comments would condemn. I think it is best that you go back to your bible and read well.
I never claimed to know where Jonathon is today. We can only assume based on what we know. Did his actions reflect a Christian life and faith? Maybe they did but we only know of the flashes of violence...
Yes, many of the apostles and early Christians would be sentenced to life in prison or death. But Swingle isn't God. Even he would say that. Swingle was just doing his job. Unfortunately for McClard, he did a good job.
God forgives those who put their faith in
Him. If you go back and read your Bible, you will see that God still gives consequences for their actions. But He forgives them because they confess and believe. However, he does say that we are to follow the laws of the Land.
I think the supper's waitin' at home and I gotta get to it "good job" was the technique used on McClard. It certainly didn't take a lot of conscientious thought. Are kids becoming throwaways with this PA?
Mr. Swingle did his job, but he has alot of lattitude how he prosecuted this case. Their are too many loose ends. As I stated before, their was alot of things going on that led up to the shooting. Their were people that knew something was going to happen and didn't prevent it. Why was Jonathan the only one prosecuted. Was Jeremy ever charged with dealing drugs? Why is Jeremy made out to be a hero when he was nothing but a drug dealer and thug.This case disturbs me and always will. By the way I know for a fact that Jonathan returned to Christ while he was in prison. But since he was human, and in a moment of desperation he killed himself.
I truly mean this, but I am very happy that he returned to Christ.
metoo
We're all glad the principal got rid of your loser kid too. It was the best thing for the kids that show up to school to learn. "Waa! Waa! my kid's not my responsibility to raise, it's the school's responsibility, Waa! Waa! I allowed him to hang out with bad kid's. It's the school's fault. Waa! Waa! All the other kids were passing, but mine wasn't. Not my responsibility. Waa! Waa!"
Is the McDonald's French Fry College your kid is at a 4 year or 2 year college?
I thought this discussion was about the McClard child.
By RAY HENRY, Associated Press. Tuesday Feb. 5, 2008
PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Seventeen-year-olds who were charged with felonies as adults under a short-lived state law will either have their cases dismissed or be transferred back to juvenile court under a judge's ruling released Tuesday.
The decision affects about 100 teens known as "gap kids" who were charged from July to November after Republican Gov. Don Carcieri and the Democratic General Assembly agreed to send the teens to adult courts and prisons as a cost-saving measure.
"It is apparent that defendants' rights were violated by their direct placement in the adult court system," Superior Court Judge Daniel Procaccini said in his ruling.
The ruling means 17-year-olds charged as adults who haven't been indicted will have their cases dismissed. Cases of those who have been indicted will be returned to Family Court, which will then decide whether to send a case back up to adult court.
Public Defender John Hardiman called the ruling a victory. He had argued before Procaccini that sending children back to Family Court where criminal records are sealed from outside view would make it easier for teenagers to later get jobs and apply for student loans.
"Family Court recognizes, as most people do, that juveniles are different than adults," Hardiman said. "They're still growing, they're still maturing, there's hope for their rehabilitation."
Prosecutors opposed the move, saying it would create chaos in the court system.
Facing a $450 million budget deficit, Carcieri proposed sending 17-year-olds to adult courts and prisons. An inmate in the state prison costs an average of $40,000 per year, compared with $98,000 for a youth held at the State Training School, which is run by the Department of Children, Youth and Families.
But the administration never consulted with prison officials before proposing the change. If they had, they would have learned that teenagers held at the state prison are kept in protective custody, away from older, hardened inmates at an annual cost of about $104,000 per person.
The law went into effect in July but was repealed four months later amid concerns it would not save money and would harm teenagers. Opponents have argued that teens have less access to counseling, rehabilitation and education in adult prisons. The repeal was not retroactive, so teenagers charged during the brief window were stuck in adult court.
Procaccini ruled lawmakers had the constitutional authority to briefly subject 17-year-olds to adult court, but said the way the decision was implemented did not follow laws governing the Family Court, which handles juvenile cases.
Defense lawyers for several 17-year-olds argued that the repeal violated their clients' constitutional rights because it created two groups of defendants who are treated unequally.
Cape Cop,
I truly hope none of your family members ever have to deal with the other side of the corrections system.
Mr. Swingle Seems people are judging you. You did what you had to. Like when your wife hit and ran. Yes we know the people she hit. Yes we know she reported the car stolen; and had it repaired the next day. The person she hit still has not been restituted. Yes Jason Bowers killer. PRE-MEDITATED; got 7 years, and will be out in at total of 5 years. Yes Morley Jason Bowers was Jonathan McClards cousin. I know about the young man that got 5 years of paper for an 8 ball of meth. His parents allegedly passed out 60,000.00 dollars in a basement to our trusted officials. I PROMISE YOU ARE BEING WATCHED!!!!!