son skitches behind car while dad drives...son dies...father charged with murder...

[skategeezer]

unreal... watch the video...

Father Arrested In Son's Skateboarding Death

Reported by: Stacey Morgan \ WCIA 3 News


Friday, Apr 18, 2008 @06:05pm CST


A Decatur man is behind bars tonight, accused of killing his son.

38-year old Timothy Melvin was arrested Thursday night, two weeks after his son died doing a skateboarding stunt.

A police officer's sworn statement was introduced in Macon County Court today. It says Timothy Melvin was driving the car that hit and killed his son in Fairview Park.

According to the statement, 12-year-old Zachary Melvin was riding his skateboard while holding on to the moving car. His dad was going about 15 miles per hour. But his son fell off the skateboard and was run over. Prosecutors say while it may have been an accident, it's still reckless behavior.

"Obviously it's a tragic situation," says State's Attorney Jack Ahola. "But you can't have people doing this kind of thing either. And if you've been out to the scene, it's not the best road for being on a skateboard, even without a car pulling you. Because of the curves and ditches there."

Melvin made his first appearance in court today. Bond was set at $20,000. He'll likely be charged next week with reckless homicide and endangering the life of a child. If found guilty, he could get 10 years in prison.

[Karv]

I can't imagine the pain that father must be going through.

[skategeezer]

does the punishment fit the crime
I hope he has a good lawyer

dumb father...but it's manslaughter, not murder

[TylertheSquint]

he kinda looks like a murderer..=)

[GravityRider15]

holy ####. I feel bad for the father, even though it was a dumb move.

[SteveC]

Originally Posted by skategeezer

does the punishment fit the crime
I hope he has a good lawyer

dumb father...but it's manslaughter, not murder

X2.

10charrrrrr

[HerBDerb]

He shouldn't have to deal with that crap.
The guy lost his son, due in part to his idiotic actions.
That's punishment enough.

[skeeterdechico]

That is so ridiculous. That dad is already going through enough. Maybe charge him with some misdemeanor. I hate the law system.

[Trygve]

Originally Posted by SteveC

X2.

10charrrrrr

x310charrr

[Steve757]

that is so stupid!
the father lost his son...bad enough right?
no, he was the one who drove his son to death and even killed him.
can you imagine how hard you would beat yourself up?
i think thats bad enough folks.

[CL]

Wow, how is that murder? Its not, by definition, that is Manslaughter. The murder charges will get dropped. If they dont get dropped, expect this to blow up in the media something fierce.

I think the father was stupid in letting a 12yr old skitch on his own car. Yeah its true, hes suffering enough after losing his child, but that doesnt excuse the fact that he still broke a law. Someones emotional feelings after breaking a law have no bearing on the fact that they still commited a crime. Thats like robbing a bank, getting shot by the police, and then saying "oh, well he's suffering enough after getting shot, lets let him off the hook for robbery!" Yeah, it dont work like that.

Manslaughter: Killing of a person without the element of intention necessary to constitute murder.
Murder: The unlawful and intentional killing of a human being by another.

This is a sad story nonetheless, no matter how you look at it. Another skater is dead, and theres more negative publicity on a sport thats already looked at pretty negatively.

[Foblander]

i feel sorry for the father and what he is going through, but he is dumb as to let his 12 year old boy skitch behind his car. Even when I have a kid, I'm not going to allow him to do it because it's just dangerous. A tragic accident indeed..