Is a 9 year old an adult?

What kind of depraved country do we have where we can charge a 9 year old with murder? Do you know any 9 year olds? Do you think they are old enough to be considered adults? If you do, then I assume you think they should be allowed to vote, drive, buy guns, marry, etc.

https://news.yahoo.com/illinois-boy-charged-fatal-fire-151057184.html

Associated Press•December 25, 2019

A 9-year-old boy charged in a central Illinois fire that killed five people, including family members, will be evaluated by a child trauma expert to determine if he’s fit to stand trial.

The boy’s attorney, Peter Dluski, sought the expert to see if the child understood the charges and the consequences, among other things, according to The Chicago Tribune.

“Based on my interaction and conversations with (the boy), as well as his age, I have a bona fide doubt as to his fitness to stand trial,” Dluski wrote in a Woodford County filing this month.

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His mother has said he suffers from schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and attention deficit disorder.

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Charging such a young child is rare, but not unprecedented.

Earlier this year, a Michigan judge dismissed a murder charge against a 9-year-old accused of fatally shooting his mother in their home near Sturgis. The judge ruled that, under Michigan law, the boy was presumed incompetent for trial because he wasn't yet 10.

Juvenile justice experts have criticized charging the Illinois boy in the first place.

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