3rd Grader killed, 13 year old charged

**LocalCelebrity** · March 3rd, 2009, 04:47 PM

CASSATT, SC (WIS) - A child was shot and killed in the town of Cassatt Monday.

Kershaw County Coroner Johnny Fellers says 10-year-old Gayloyd Anthony Roberts attended the third grade at Midway Elementary.

His 13-year-old brother, whose name has not been released, has been charged with murder, and was being held at the Department of Juvenile Justice in Columbia.

Authorities with the Kershaw County Sheriff's Department said at a morning news conference that Roberts and three siblings were home from school Monday due to the weather. Two brothers got in argument; the 15-year-old tried to break it up. At some point, the 13-year-old shot 10-year-old Gaylord "PD" Roberts with a .22 rifle.

Authorities say the shooting was not accidental, and it's unclear if he'll be charged as an adult.

The boy's father, 44-year-old Gary Travis Roberts, was charged with unlawful neglect of a child because he left a gun at the house and the kids unattended. He was being held at the Kershaw County Detention Center.

The principal of the school told News 10 early Tuesday morning that she was meeting with teachers to tell them about the death, then they were going to tell students. Counselors will be available.

An autopsy was scheduled for Tuesday morning.

You can count on WIS News 10 to keep working on the story and bring you the latest developments.

Gayloyd Roberts

http://www.wistv.com/Global/story.asp?S=9934637

**thebooblady** · March 3rd, 2009, 05:01 PM

Here are some of the comments people were leaving:

Anyone that knows this family should know these children should have never even been in this home. It is a tragedy for all involved, and yes, the father should have been arrested. There should have never been guns in the home with a convicted felon, whether it is a state law or federal. The mother works. The father does not. He gets disability. There is no state law that says how young a child has to be to be left home alone so lack of supervision is not an issue. The gun, being that it was in a home where it never should have been, should have been locked up so these children should not have access to it. More than likely it was laying in a chair somewhere. The older children should be aware not to touch it but there is also a child in kindergarten in the home. This should have never happened but knowing this family, it was inevitable.

DSS was called many times when this family lived in our community. The father and mother were both nelectiful of these children. It was always more about them than the children.
My heart goes out to the children, because they were never taught any better. It is a sad day in our country when one child has to lose his life and the other child well never be get over this tragedy. Not only should the parents be held responsible but DSS is just if not more responsible for placing thesse children back in this home. When will they start thinking about the children and stop thinking about the parents(if you can call them parents). These were beautiful, loving little children when we knew them. My prayers are with them!!!

It has been nauseating for me to read some of these comments. If you only knew! I am sorry for P.D. This should have never happened!!! P.D. had a chance the system took it away. He was better off in foster. God Bless you P.D. and your foster family.

**RaVen Blackehart** · March 3rd, 2009, 05:12 PM

Gayloyd Roberts

Gary Travis Roberts

Ok, what kind of a name is "Gayloyd"??? Did the white trash that spawned him mean to name him "Gaylord"??

I don't like Daddy of the Years looks anyway, he has pedo eyes.

**Marv** · March 3rd, 2009, 05:15 PM

DSS was called many times when this family lived in our community. The father and mother were both nelectiful of these children. It was always more about them than the children.
My heart goes out to the children, because they were never taught any better.

Thats so sad, and so very true. If the parents are fucktards, then what chance do the kids stand? They will see abnormal, abhorant, violent behaviour and just accept it as a way of life. The bad lessons and examples they learned will be normal to them, and then they will move on and raise their own kids in the same manner. Or end up in jail. Or dead.

Poor child. RIP 'PD'.

**Unamused Cat** · March 3rd, 2009, 05:16 PM

The daddy doesn't look like he has a lick of sense. What a shame a poor little guy is now dead. Pitiful!

**thebooblady** · March 3rd, 2009, 05:25 PM

Originally Posted by RaVen Blackehart

Ok, what kind of a name is "Gayloyd"??? Did the white trash that spawned him mean to name him "Gaylord"??

Poor kid was doomed from the start. And his nickname was not much better.."PD".

**Sister Iroz** · March 4th, 2009, 08:46 AM

CASSATT, S.C. A 13-year-old South Carolina boy has been charged with murder in the shooting death of his 10-year-old brother.

Kershaw County Sheriff's Capt. David Thomley said Tuesday that an argument over where to sit to watch a movie led the teen to shoot his brother, Gayloyd Roberts, once in the face Monday.

The teen is charged with murder, but deputies aren't releasing his name because of his age.

Thomley said the boys and an 8-year-old sibling were home alone with their 15-year-old sister.

Authorities said the children's father, 44-year-old Gary Roberts, has been charged with unlawful neglect because he left a loaded shotgun leaning against a bedroom wall.

Thomley did not know if the family had an attorney and a message left Tuesday at a listing for the home was not returned.

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/bre...ry/573796.html

He really needs to be held accountable for his sons death because it may not have happened if the loaded gun was not out in the open. I doubt if the boy would have gotten a knife or anything else if the gun wasn't available so this father needs to be held accountable for this. This makes me very angry that he left it out especially loaded. WTF was he thinking. Damn him. May the child RIP. He has hurt two of his children.

[...]

Gayloyd Roberts

Gayloyd Anthony Roberts

Gary Travis RobertsRoberts had his bond set at $15,000 Tuesday afternoon.

Counselors were at Gaylord's school, Midway Elementary, on Tuesday to offer counseling to staff and students. Roberts was in third grade.

It's not just family and classmates that are mourning the loss of "P.D." The boy spent part of his youth in foster care.

She spoke with News19, but did not want to be identified.

"After having him for so long, we mourned him leaving our house, and that was rough, but this...I...unimaginable."

"I took him to his first day of kindergarten, his first tooth he lost with us," she said. "He learned to ride a bike while he was at our house, he learned to swi

**Dakota Valkyrie** · May 22nd, 2009, 12:38 AM

A 13-year-old Kershaw County boy pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter , admitting to fatally shooting his 10-year-old brother because he took his spot to sit and watch television.
[...]
Prosecutors said the boys and their 15-year-old half-sister were home because school was canceled after forecasters called for a snowstorm that never happened.

Their parents had gone to a recycling center when the sister heard the boys arguing, told them to stop, then left the room, authorities said.

That’s when the 13-year-old grabbed a loaded rifle, which their father kept leaning against the bedroom wall, pointed it at his brother and fired, investigators said.

Gayloyd Roberts was pronounced dead at Palmetto Health Richland about 90 minutes later.

“I can’t think of anything more tragic and horrific than killing your brother over something so simple.“ said 5th Circuit Deputy Solicitor John Meadors during the hearing in Kershaw County Family Court.

The 13-year-old, who according to court officials has since been prescribed Zoloft — used to treat depression and anxiety — will be sentenced in about 45 days. A psychiatrist found him competent to stand trial, they said.

Under the maximum sentence, he would have to remain in the custody of the Department of Juvenile Justice until age 21.

[...]

The boy’s 15-year-old half-sister, 8-year-old brother and 6-year-old sister remain in a foster home.

The boy also has an 18-year-old half-brother, who was not at the hearing.

Some of the children had been in foster care before the shooting — some of them more than once — because of conditions in the home, authorities said. But they would not provide details.

The 13-year-old boy, who is in the eighth grade, has been in special education classes throughout his childhood and is “slow,” Eddins said.

The shooting has cost her daughter custody of her children and could ruin her daughter’s relationship with Roberts, she said.

Self and Roberts have lived together for 14 years.

“As far as I know, if he goes to trial and he gets sent off, that’s the end of him and her,” she said.

Eddins had visited the 13-year-old, whose nickname is “Bubba,” while he was in custody two weeks after the shooting and tried to find out what happened, she said.

“I said, ‘Bubba, were you upset? He said, ‘No ma’am.’ I said, ‘Bubba were you mad about something?’ He said, ‘No ma’am.’

“To me, he hasn’t said he’s sorry.”

http://www.thestate.com/breaking/story/796012.html

**sleepinwithangels** · May 22nd, 2009, 01:20 AM

I know that this child is 13 and therefore knows the difference between right and wrong...and that he admitted that he killed his brother for such a silly reason...but I can't help but believe this was a terrible accident...was he aware the gun was loaded? Was he trynig to scare his brother and accidentally shot him?

I guess even after all the gruesome things I've read here I still want to believe there is still innocence left in some.

**evervigilant** · May 22nd, 2009, 03:34 AM

Very sad , he probably won't realise the enormity of what he's done until he's older .

**Dakota Valkyrie** · May 22nd, 2009, 06:02 AM

It's hard to tell what he thinks. They only say he is in special education classes and is "slow". My sister is "slow" She's 40 with the mentality of less than a 12 year old. How "slow" is the kid? Does he even understand what he's done? Will he ever?

Given that all 6 kids had been in and out of the foster system (because of the home situation) and the kid is "slow", I have to wonder if he wasn't reacting as he thought might be "normal"?

I don't know what direction the answers go in. I just hope his siblings remain safe and he gets help while he's in jail.

**sanityslipping** · May 22nd, 2009, 07:33 AM

Damn, the words have pretty much been stolen out of my mouth (or off of my keyboard?)

Merge together Dakota's last post, evervigilant, and sleepingwangels, and there you have it.

My heart is breaking over this one. So many lives ruined, and it could have been prevented if the kids hadn't been returned, if the gun hadn't been left out, if they hadn't been left alone. Where was Daddy if he wasn't working? Does this kid have a history of violent behavior? Exactly how slow is he? Did he realize he could kill his brother? Did he mean to kill his brother?

He hasn't said sorry to his mother, but is he sorry? Does he even fully realize what he's done? Does he realize, at this point in time, that his brother isn't coming back, when he is released from jail, he won't find his brother sitting on the couch?

Did he think pulling a gun on somebody was normal/typical/acceptable behavior?

Oh yeah, you internet slueths, I saw mention that daddy is a convicted felon, any clue as to what the charges are?

**thebooblady** · May 22nd, 2009, 07:51 AM

I searched the county he lived in as well as two surrounding counties and the SC Department of Probation and Parole. All I could find were seatbelt violations and littering. Unless he lived somewhere else, I think the allegations are false.

**swivel** · May 22nd, 2009, 08:34 AM

Originally Posted by ohmarvellousme!

Thats so sad, and so very true. If the parents are fucktards, then what chance do the kids stand? They will see abnormal, abhorant, violent behaviour and just accept it as a way of life. The bad lessons and examples they learned will be normal to them, and then they will move on and raise their own kids in the same manner. Or end up in jail. Or dead.

Poor child. RIP 'PD'.

You are making a lot of assumptions here, and good research says that all of them are wrong.

These kids don't just learn to be fucked up because they witness their parents behavior, they INHERIT a bad set of DNA from their parents.

When we look at adoption studies, the kids have more in common with their biological parents than they do with their adoptive ones.

Another common mistake is to see that a lot of male losers come from broken homes and blame their future behavior on the ABSENCE of their father. What is ignored is the fact that they were sired by a cock-sucker who had a weak attachment to other people.

The more we learn about the complex power of our genes, and how they dictate the way we behave as well as our physical features, the more we are realizing that these assumptions are dead-wrong.

The good news here is that these kids weren't adopted into loving homes. Because then, they would have killed decent kids instead of each other. You guys see innocent, poor, beautiful children being abused and tragically murdered in this story? I see two hell-spawn unleashed on the Earth by a deadbeat and a whore--the cocktail of their failed DNA mixing and forming something dangerous.

The real tragedy is that we make people take tests to drive cars, but not to breed and vote.

**Dakota Valkyrie** · July 10th, 2009, 08:18 AM

[...]
Gary Travis Roberts, 45, is charged with possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin McDonald said Thursday.

He was not yet in custody Thursday.

Roberts is accused of illegally possessing the .22-caliber pump-action rifle used in the March 2 killing at the family’s Cassatt home.

He is prohibited from having guns or ammunition because of a 1991 state conviction for involuntary manslaughter.
[...]

Gary Roberts has already been charged by Kershaw County sheriff’s deputies with unlawful neglect of a child.

In March, he told investigators that he recently used the rifle to shoot at dogs that were bothering his horse.

The 13-year-old boy’s 15-year-old half-sister, 8-year-old brother and 6-year-old sister remain together in a foster home, state Department of Social Services spokeswoman Marilyn Matheus said Thursday.

The boy also has an 18-year-old half-brother.

http://www.thestate.com/local/story/858999.html

**carolinablue** · July 10th, 2009, 05:48 PM

the tragedy yet to come is that these kids are, by now, so totally screwed up that chances are they will never live lives that even pass for normal. a childhood like this virtually ensures destructive and antisocial behavior... drugs, alcohol, violence, this list goes on. come back in 15 years and you will probably find THEIR mugshots on a crime web site. sometimes the lucky ones are the ones who die before they're broken.

**thebooblady** · September 1st, 2009, 12:37 AM

The father of a South Carolina boy who shot and killed his 10-year-old brother has pleaded guilty to a federal weapons charge.

Officials say a 13-year-old boy shot his younger brother, Gayloyd Roberts, in March because he took his spot watching television. The teen pleaded guilty in May to voluntary manslaughter and is awaiting sentencing.

Gary Roberts was charged with illegal possession of the .22-caliber pump-action rifle used in the shooting. He had been convicted of involuntary manslaughter in 1991 and was prohibited from having guns or ammunition.

Roberts will be sentenced later. He faces up to 10 years in prison.

http://www.wltx.com/news/story.aspx?...=77867&catid=2