OK, Mr. Defense Attorney.

Jamal Applewhite has had a bunch of chances. When he was 13 years old, he murdered his best friend, hid his body, and tried to make it look like someone else did it. He went to TYC. When he got out of TYC, he committed three thefts. Then he got caught carrying a handgun. Then he tried to run over a man with his car after the two had a fight. Then in April 2010, he shot a BB gun at another motorist on LBJ Freeway.


Applewhite's mama says her son didn't have a chance to grow up -- they robbed him of that at TYC. No, "they" didn't rob him of anything. He robbed himself. As to the BB gun incident, Applewhite's attorney says that a BB gun isn't a real gun. In arguing for probation, he said prosecutors just wanted to punish Jamal again for the murder he committed. "They want you to demonize him," Ezekiel told the jury. "We're going to ask you to punish him appropriately."


The jury granted Ezekiel's request to punish him appropriately. Jamal will be spending the next 15 years in prison.

"2nd chances end for DeSoto man." The Dallas Morning News; June 25, 2011; p. 1A.