Eighteeen-year-old Jamaican Lee Boyd Malvo is currently being tried in the United States for the murder of 13 persons and the wounding of six others. Many have argued, including his attorneys, that he was "brainwashed" and under the dominating influence of John Allen Muhammad when he is alleged to have committed the sniper shootings. Late last month, Mohammad was tried and convicted and sentenced to the death penalty. Should this teenager share the same fate if found guilty as charged? This is a very serious question which one should ponder with great care.

It is really unfortunate that this young man got himself mixed up with the wrong people and came under the wrong influence at such a relatively early stage in his life.

But what went wrong with Malvo, where did it all break down? In an interview on Question Time with Ian Boyne, Una James, mother of Lee, explained that the absence of a father figure in his life could have played a part in his development to the point where he is today. Una James' statement lends much credibility to what many psychologists in the US have stated from the start of the case -- that Lee Malvo, devoid of a father figure in his life finally found someone, John Muhammad, who fulfilled his need for paternal love and understanding.

Most unfortunate, but we are at a stage now where the jury will shortly be deliberating, before a verdict is reached. If Lee Malvo is found guilty then he must face the full weight of the law. If he is exonerated then the hope is that young man, with the help of others, can pick up the pieces.

We will wait and see!

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