An 11-year-old city boy was fatally stabbed last night by another 11-year-old boy

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Boy dies in cinema incident
Sunday, February 4, 2001 By ALICIA GUIDE

SPRINGFIELD — An 11-year-old city boy was fatally stabbed last night by another 11-year-old boy who went to a movie theater to watch an R-rated horror movie, according to police and patrons.

The victim, whose identity was not released last night, was stabbed with a knife at least once in the upper left chest, said Lt. William J. Noonan, head of the Springfield Police Department Detective Bureau. The child was pronounced dead at Baystate Medical Center at 7:01 p.m.

Police know the identity of the 11-year-old boy who did the stabbing and were searching for him late last night, Noonan said.

The incident occurred shortly after 6 p.m. in the arcade area on the left side of the lobby of the Regal Cinemas 16 on St. James Avenue, Noonan said. The two 11-year-olds had an argument before one stabbed the other, Noonan said.

Noonan said police were still trying to determine what the fight was about. It was not clear if the boys new each other, he said.

The boy who did the stabbing fled on foot, out of the theater and into the adjacent Springfield Plaza shopping area, Noonan said. There were at least six other people in the lobby at the time of the stabbing, Noonan said.

A 15-year-old Chicopee girl, who declined to identify herself, said she and her boyfriend were sitting in the back row, a few seats away from the boy who did the stabbing and his friends, at the 5:30 p.m. showing of "Valentine," an R-rated horror movie. The girl said the youths, whom she does not know, were "acting obnoxious," running in and out of the theater several times. "Two of his cousins came back and one of them said, 'Everyone get out. My cousin just stabbed someone,'" the girl said.

"I was scared, because they were sitting right next to us," the girl said.

The boy who did the stabbing was with seven or eight other people, one of whom was an adult woman who sat a few rows in front of the group of youths, the girl said.

"The rest of the people that were with them, the movie people came and took them out," the girl said.

Regal Cinemas employees said company policy barred them from speaking to the press.

The attendants did not stop the film, and the girl and her boyfriend stayed until the end of the movie. "Movie attendants walked up and down the rows a few times, but that was about it," the girl said. "I think they did what they did to keep it low-key, like nothing happened."

Patrons exiting the theater's 7:40 p.m. showing of "Valentine" cited its violent tone, the numbers of children in attendance and their own disappointment in the film.

Kristen Mathieu, 18, of Chicopee said she found the movie frightening and said its plot could give negative ideas to young people who are taunted. Her movie companion, Anthony F. Pires, 17, of Chicopee, said he felt the events of the movie, including its violence, could happen in real life.

He said the plot revolved around a man who seeks violent revenge as an adult, after being taunted in sixth grade at a dance with a Valentine's Day theme. Mathieu and Pires also noted that there were many elementary school-age children, even preschoolers, at "Valentine" with adults, who were apparently their parents.

Richard S. Cappello, 19, and Rachel L. Janik, 17, both of Southampton, said the film could provoke violence.

"There were 3- and 4-year-olds in there, with their parents," Janik said. "We could not believe it."

Fourteen police cruisers lined the outside of the theater for hours after the killing last night. Inside, about 10 officers lined the glass doors leading to the lobby. Another five officers stood just inside the glass doors, guarding the arcade area and preventing anyone from entering the area. The area had black theater ropes surrounding it but was not cordoned off with crime scene tape. There were also no other visible signs that a stabbing had occurred in the lobby.

Staff writer Chris Hamel contributed to this story.

© 2001 UNION-NEWS. Used with permission.

-- Uncle Bob (unclb0b@aol.com), February 04, 2001

Answers

What a rotten society, rotten to the core.

-- Will (righthere@home.now), February 05, 2001.

The victim's name is Nestor Herrara.

These kids had no business being at that movie. I put right on the parents, they should be held responsible. And the ones that brought their 3 and 4 year olds should be ashamed of themselves...maybe this will be a major wake-up call for them..hmmm?

Update story

-- Peg (pegmcleod@mediaone.net), February 05, 2001.


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