In the famous case of Lionel Tate, there was great controversy regarding whether the twelve-year-old possessed enough competence to stand trial. He was twelve when he was accused of murdering his younger sister, Tiffany. When autopsied, the results showed that six-year-old Tiffany endured more than 35 injuries, including a cracked skull, cracked ribs, brain injuries, and vast internal bleeding. Due to the extent of the crime, they transferred him to an adult court room. Lionel tried to say he accidentally killed her while trying to imitate professional wrestling, popularly deemed the ‘wrestling defense.’ Professionals argued that there was no way it could have been a wrestling accident due to the severity of her injuries. Ultimately, he was convicted of 1st degree murder and was sent to life in jail with no parole. His lawyer then went to the federal appeals court and Lionel ended up getting a new trial because his competency wasn’t evaluated before trial. His new trial offered him a plea bargain for 2nd degree murder and Lionel accepted it.
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