Please Help Christopher Pittman, 15

[Anonymous]

This is the boy recently sentenced to 30 years hard time in South Carolina for the murder of his grandparents.  Chris was 12 years old and had recently been put on first Paxil and then Zoloft.  He did not get a speedy trial.  He was held in juvenile detention for 3 years. Just like the dirty little secret that blew the lid off the Catholic Church .... The Pharmaceutical Industry needs to be exposed for their crimes.  Chris was prescribed a drug by a country doctor (a GP) who gave his grandparents the drugs in a paper bag with the instructions written on the outside. This doctor, however well intentioned, failed Chris in the worst way imaginable.  Please help by signing the petition which can be found by clicking the link below.  Thank you.

http://www.christopherpittman.org

[Anonymous]

Sorry, but this is not a legitimate excuse for killing. Those drugs DO NOT cause you to kill people. This is just some crap cooked up by a lawyer to try and not hold a person responsible for their actions.

[Helena Handbasket]

On 2005-02-19 06:59:00, Anonymous wrote:

"Sorry, but this is not a legitimate excuse for killing. Those drugs DO NOT cause you to kill people. This is just some crap cooked up by a lawyer to try and not hold a person responsible for their actions."

Any drug that messes with your head can have unpredictable results.  

But how much do we know about the case?  Was the boy truly mentally ill?  Was he seen by a specialist, and if not, why not, and who was monitoring his response to the medication?


It's one thing to willingly take something to get high, and commit a crime, and something totally different to take a "legal drug" that's prescribed for you, and commit a crime because it had an adverse effect on your noggin.

[Anonymous]

Sara,

Did you watch this trial on Court TV?

This kid totally Pre-meditated this whole thing.

Sorry.  I am the mom to 2 grown boys, and I really really wanted to believe that this boy was really messed up on Zoloft---but sometimes we just have to accept it:  Sometimes there really are just some bad ones out there.

This kid killed his grandparents.  Burned down the house to cover it up.  Drove away from the scene in a car.  All this at age 12.

And he was "upset"....just didn't want to obey.

Sorry:  he just has to pay the price.

[Helena Handbasket]

On 2005-02-19 14:27:00, Anonymous wrote:

"Sara,



Did you watch this trial on Court TV?



This kid totally Pre-meditated this whole thing.



Sorry.  I am the mom to 2 grown boys, and I really really wanted to believe that this boy was really messed up on Zoloft---but sometimes we just have to accept it:  Sometimes there really are just some bad ones out there.



This kid killed his grandparents.  Burned down the house to cover it up.  Drove away from the scene in a car.  All this at age 12.



And he was "upset"....just didn't want to obey.



Sorry:  he just has to pay the price."

No, I didn't... I barely watch TV at all.  That's why I asked the questions... they weren't rhetorical.

[Helena Handbasket]

On 2005-02-19 14:27:00, Anonymous wrote:


This kid killed his grandparents.  Burned down the house to cover it up.  Drove away from the scene in a car.  All this at age 12.



And he was "upset"....just didn't want to obey.



Sorry:  he just has to pay the price."

This sounds like pre-teen rebellion to you?  Something smells like fish on the fourth day here.

[Anonymous]

What specific indicators led you to think the murders were premeditated?

Forward from Chris's attorney:

First and foremost, on behalf of Chris and his entire family and defense team, THANK YOU for your prayers and your concerns. They mean more to all of us than you can possibly imagine. Although the trial is over, our team is still working full time in Chris's behalf. We anticipate filing a couple of post-trial motions next week which may have a substantial impact on Chris's future. Please continue to pray for him.

Also, to keep posted on developments in the case, just watch our website, http://www.justiceseekers.com.

Meanwhile, in response to numerous requests, we are providing the following information:

1. If you or a someone you know has been adversely affected by an SSRI medication, please file a MedWatch report on the FDA's website at
http://www.fda.gov/medwatch/report/cons ... nsumer.htm
2. If you have thoughts you want to share with the Court regarding leniency for Chris, you may write
Judge Daniel Pieper
c/o (our law firm)
Vickery & Waldner
One Riverway, Suite 1150
Houston, TX 77056

We will be filing certain motions in the near future and will forward letters to him as appropriate. Alternatively, you can send the letters directly to the
Hon. Daniel F. Pieper,
Circuit Court Judge,
Ninth Judicial Circuit,
100 Broad St., Charleston, SC 29401-2287.

3. For those who want to pursue legislative reform in South Carolina, you may write your local Congressman or Senator. If you are from South Carolina, please write your local legislators to ask them to support legislation
prohibiting the prosecution of kids under the age of 14 as adults, even if the crime is murder.

4. Many people have asked about writing the President or the Governor of SC to ask for a pardon for Chris. Governor Mark Sanford's contact info is located at http://www.scgovernor.com and you are, of course, free to write to him. However, his office has advised that they are being inundated with requests for a pardon, and has asked us to inform interested parties that the proper channel in South Carolina is via letter to the:
Department of Probation
Parole & Pardon Service
Attn: Parole Board Members
PO Box 50666
Columbia, SC 29250.

5. Many people have indicate that they would like to share their own personal experiences on Zoloft or other drugs in public. There are, of course, many journalists who are interested in hearing about similar stories. However, the journalist who has followed this story most closely is Jason Cato at The Herald in Rock Hill, South Carolina. His email is http://www.justiceseekers.com for information about the Chris Pittman Legal Defense Fund.

7. Still others have offered to post information about this case and similar tragedies on their websites, and/or to hyperlink to our site. If you have a website and would like to post a hyperlink to our website for info about the case and the defense fund please feel free to do so.

8. Many people want to write to Chris. If you would like to write to Christopher, please send your letters to our law firm addressed:
Christopher Pittman
c/o Vickery & Waldner, LLP
One Riverway Drive, Suite 1150
Houston, TX 77056-1920

Once again, thank you for your kind thoughts and prayers. They support us in what is, as you might well imagine, a time of extreme sorrow. We are truly overwhelmed by the support Christopher is receiving.

Andy Vickery and Paul Waldner

Vickery & Waldner, LLP
One Riverway Drive, Suite 1150
Houston, Texas 77056-1920
Telephone: 713-526-1100 or 866-767-2945
Facsimile: 713-523-5939
Website: http://www.justiceseekers.com

[Anonymous]

Thank you! It is disgusting how this boy fell through the cracks and is now being put away for 30 long damn years.  This is not justice ... it is an American Tragedy.  Please do what you can for Christopher Pittman ... even if it is just to write a letter letting him know that you and others do care.

[Jeff_Berryman]

Sorry.  I am the mom to 2 grown boys, and I really really wanted to believe that this boy was really messed up on Zoloft---but sometimes we just have to accept it:  Sometimes there really are just some bad ones out there.



This kid killed his grandparents.  Burned down the house to cover it up.  Drove away from the scene in a car.  All this at age 12.



And he was "upset"....just didn't want to obey.



Sorry:  he just has to pay the price."

Boy am I ever conflicted on this one.  In the first place, I entirely agree with the sentiments above, in principal.  But then again my late father's personality changed beyond recognition every time he changed blood pressure medication.  The one he was taking in the '60s and early seventies made him psychotic.  Later on he switched medications and became more or less bearable.

So on the other hand, the medication defense is not all that implausible to me.  I'm going to have to think long and hard about whether or not to sign that petition.

[Anonymous]

Get with it Berryman!  Some child's rights activist you are.  

Christopher Pittman does NOT need your support, he has the support of legitimate juvenile justice experts and reformists. People who care about the human and civil rights of youth and don't need to sit and ponder the issue.  What a crock!

You are a phony.

[Anonymous]

S.C. Governor Swamped With Petitions To Pardon Christopher Pittman

POSTED: 6:40 am EST February 22, 2005

CHARLESTON, S.C. -- Requests to pardon teen killer Christopher Pittman are pouring into Governor Sanford's office.

Child rights activists are jumping to Pittman's defense, saying the 30-year adult sentence is too harsh for the teenager.

People from across the world, including the U.K., Ireland and even Ghana are speaking out against South Carolina's law that allowed Pittman to be tried as an adult.

Watching the case on CourtTV pushed a Michigan woman into action.

"I was absolutely outraged so I decided I had to do something," Barbara Andrews says.

Andrews started a petition and has more than 400 signatures, asking Governor Sanford for a pardon.

"We're not going to stop fighting for him- we're going to get him out. He's not going to be in there 30 years," says Pittman's sister, Danielle Fitchum.

Justice for Juveniles has a form letter people can send to the governor.

Some people are wearing white ribbons to support Pittman and Freedom Fighters for Christopher has been formed.

Andrews says, "We're hoping to get 1000 signatures on the first and send that one in then immediately we'll put the second one into motion."

The second petition will ask for a reduced sentence so Pittman is out by age 21.

"In a double murder, I think this sentence was very justified, 30 years," Prosecutor John Meadors says.

The activists want lawmakers to ban the prosecution of children under the age of 14 as adults.

http://www.wsoctv.com/news/4219046/detail.html

[Anonymous]

Before you pass judgment on Pittman, you should consider the evidence regarding the effects of SSRIs.
While some may be able to take them with no side effects, other appear to become further depressed, psychotic and/or violent.

http://www.ssricitizen.org/
First hand accounts of the effects of drugs:
http://www.drugawareness.org/Archives/S ... index.html

Interesting also, that it was recently reveiled that the drug companies hid studies that showed a significant increase in suicidal/violent reactions. An FDA scienties did his own studies, reported this to the FDA, and the drugs were still allowed to be marketed.

Then there is the issue of trying kids as adults. What will he be like when he re-enters society in 30 years? Any chance of 'rehabilitation'? Or will he simply sit in prison to satisfy those who feel this is appropriate punishment?

[Deborah]

In a double murder trial why on earth would you not want to sequester the jury? And with Pfizer involved in a case anyone should know that a jury should be sequestered!!! Maybe more truth will be allowed to come out in a second trial.
___________________________

Ann Blake Tracy, Ph.D.,
Executive Director, International Coalition For Drug Awareness
Website: http://www.drugawareness.org
Author: Prozac: Panacea or Pandora? - Our Serotonin Nightmare
& CD or audio tape on safe withdrawal: "Help! I Can't Get Off My Antidepressant!"
Order Number: 800-280-0730
___________________________


http://www.wsoctv.com/news/4226985/detail.html
Pittman Attorneys Ask For New Trial

Charlotte, NC -- The defense team for a teenager convicted of killing his grandparents has asked the judge for a new trial.

They are claiming juror misconduct.

Christopher Pittman's lead attorney, Andy Vickery, says there is evidence that a juror was overheard talking about the case in a nightclub during the trial.

Last week, a jury in Charleston convicted 15-year-old Pittman of killing his grandparents.

A judge sentenced him to 30 years in prison.

Pittman's attorneys claimed the teenager was on an anti-depressant which made him kill his grandparents in Chester County in 2003.


Copyright 2005 by WSOCTV.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

[claremok]

Don't forget we are talking about a 12 yr. old.
First he is coming off of Paxil,  which for an
adult can be disastrous,  and then on top of that
he is given Zoloft.   The Doctor said he was taken
50 mg but the color that was mentioned indicates he was taking 100 mg.  Paxil or Zoloft, 50 mg's or 100 mg's,  neither one should be prescribed for children.

Clare

[Antigen]

Curious. Has any of this put even a little ding in the sale of SSRIs?

Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich.
--Napoleon Bonaparte, French emperor