Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Atheist James Doyle murdered in Iowa

16-year-old James Doyle was shot in the chest by 14-year-old Daniel Nadler on June 27, 2010. Doyle was an Atheist, Nadler a Christian. They were arguing about religion at the time of the murder. Apparently, Christian + hormonal teen + argument about religion + shotgun = murder, but does not equal a hate crime. The case has been under reported in the press. Plus, it was not an accident.

“The kids were up all night messing around with the gun and then there were some angry words and the victim was shot,” said Indianola Police Chief Steve Bonnett.

The killing was motivated, Bonnett said, but he declined to release specific details: “This wasn’t a case of kids playing with a gun and it accidentally went off.”

Nadler’s motivation should be examined. If he killed Doyle because he was an Atheist, this crime becomes a hate crime and should be handed differently. They way it is going Doyle will walk out of jail when he turns 18. How is that justice?

The family wants justice, but it looks like Daniel Nadler will not be held accountable.

The family of an Indianola teen who was shot to death last summer says the boy charged with the crime is getting off scott free. Fourteen year-old Daniel Nadler was originally charged with first degree murder for the shooting death of 16-year old James Doyle.

The charge has since been lowered to second degree murder, and a plea agreement could lower it even further. That possibility isn't sitting well with Doyle's family.

Read the comment thread – it will break your heart.

You can help. Tell the people who are in charge of the case what you think.

A boy was murdered because he was an Atheist. The Christian who murdered him will escape justice. The case is under reported in the press. Please help by contacting the people prosecuting the case:

You can also help by spreading the word.

Hat tip: justice_for_doyle

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48 comments:

kate said...

Wow. Can you imagine the public outrage if it were the atheist boy who shot and killed the Christian? He'd have been strung up by now.

Anonymous said...

I completely agree with Kate. An atheist wouldn't have a prayer (ha).

Anonymous said...

Has anyone asked him why he shot the other boy? Plus Lying by omission is still lying and isn't he supposed to be under oath?

Bar L. said...

I am appalled. Kate is so right. I am going to tweet, digg, etc. your post.

Zach said...

Are you kidding me. Does freedom of the press mean that you are allowed to report and extrapolate whatever you hear. You do not have all the facts in this case. You have only what the police want you to hear for now. You probably won't hear any more till trial. Why not wait till after the trial when all the facts are presented and then report and make your judgement. How can you call it a hate crame when you don't know all the story. What ever happened to "Innocent until proven guilty!?" And by the way these are kids!!! They don't yet know what hate is! Just cause they get angry doesn't mean that it's a hate crame. Leave this alone till after trial

cosmicaug said...

The boy was murdered because the other boy is a sociopath. However, Kate is right and if the situation were reversed the narrative being told would be a very different one.

Adam said...

@Zach "And by the way these are kids!!! They don't yet know what hate is! "

The killer was 14! Thats old enough to be responsible for ones actions in my opinion, especially in America. Where I come from, the age of responsibility is 12. Im 16, and I know damnw ell that 14 year olds know what they're doing. August is right, this kid is a sociopath. Also, dont forget to read the qoutes. They were arguing over rleigion, the kid got pissy and by admission shot the other kid.

Legion said...

Don't capitalize the word "atheist." That's fucking stupid. Capitalizing the word "atheist: is what fucking idiot Christians do to try to pretend that atheism is some how a religion, a political party, or otherwise some kind of noun.

Madeleine said...

LOL @ Zach thinking a 14-year old doesn't know what hate is. The 14 year old freshmen at my high school and the 14-year olds I went to middle school with certainly know how to hate based on race, sexual orientation, gender, appearance, opinion, and, yes, religion. (If you don't like reading rants, you can skip to the last three sentences. ;)

I was and am still hated for who I am. I am hated based on my many casual debates, the scars on my body, the opinions I have, the things I've done in the past, etc etc. The list goes on.
This 14-year old knew quite well what hate was. Whether or not this was a hate crime remains to be determined, as it is still correct that not all the facts have been released, but nonetheless, this boy is responsible for his actions and should be held accountable. I also agree with Kate in that if an atheist were to commit a crime such as this one, that person would be slaughtered by the media, religious groups, "concerned parents," etc.
Sad, to think that because of the disproportionate value we put on age rather than awareness, this boy will most likely not be charged as an adult, the way he should be.

I am 15 years of age, and I walk amongst people like that 14-year old every single day when I go to school. Intolerance is a sad fact of life which needs to be changed. I don't mind that people are religious, and I don't mind discussing religion with people, so long as no one takes anything personally. Some of my religious friends can discuss it without getting upset, while most are too emotionally distressed by the thought to even broach the subject with me.

Getting off topic here...I have a tendency to rant. My point is, this boy knew what he was doing, and he knew what hate was. He should be held fully responsible.

Jen said...

Prosecuting attorney and judge can be good contact points, but the real pressure should be put on the media and the district attorney. It's politics that is needed to keep the kids from ending up with a plea bargain resulting in six months of probation.

Anonymous said...

That kid was a great Christian. It's very Christ-like to shoot someone because their opinion differs from yours.
He is a sociopath.

Anonymous said...

i agree. the kid knew what he was doing. i think it was done in the heat of anger but that doesnt excuse it. i mean seriously...a religion that is supposedly based on love. this kid didnt 'get' his religion at all. and yes, i think he will get off, and of course since he is forgiven by god then he
probably wont carry much guilt about it too...esp if he gets off
lightly.

Don Misathing said...

If people aren't behind adult sentencing at all, I would still encourage the maximum juvenile sentence plus psychiatric treatment for the kid, and I would suspect long-term exposure to domestic abuse and encourage investigation of the parents (since the boy is under 18 and legally their problem, esp. if he's not going to be tried and sentenced as an adult)

Good Christian boys from good Christian homes don't just go shooting their friends. What's a fourteen year old kid need a gun for anyhow?

Anonymous said...

ok so person A shot person B with a shotgun after arguing. person A is 14 person B was 16. these are the only facts that matter in this case. does it change the value of the crime if they were arguing over a girl? politics? a crime is commited and you have made it about religion, yes that's what they were arguing about but a 16 year old is dead because a 14 year old thought it was OK to point a shotgun at a human and pull the trigger. I think it is silly to point the finger at religion or use it to wave a banner for others to flock to.

Anonymous said...

thats just messed up, i mean come on killing some one cold blood just cuase one just cuase they are different in religion is the same as killing some one just cuase they are a different race, this should of been tried as a hate crime, the jugde clearly ruled in favor of keeping his job and not justice.

Mark said...

I agree with Kate. However, I am opposed to the idea of "Hate crimes" because they are essentially thought crimes and that is one wicked slippery slope. Consequently, I agree with anonymous who said "person A shot person B..." Treat it as a straight up crime of murder. The perpetrator should neither be made a martyr to his cause by focusing on the religious motive nor should the religious motive be a reason for the prosecutor to go easy on him.

Andy Van Scoyoc said...

I don't like to jump on ANY bandwagon without having all the facts, but...IF this is being presented in a balanced way, then I agree with Kate.

Christianity has killed more innocent people in the name of "god" than any other religion in world history.

The only reason I think it's gotten this much press is because Atheism is so taboo to the Fundies who need fodder for their fires of ignorance.

If the kid was Buddhist, Satanist, Unitarian or any other belief, it wouldn't be in any paper, anywhere, at any time. You might catch a small sliver of press in a paper somewhere at the bottom where no one would see it.

The fact that Christians can basically do what they wish ought to terrify everyone breathing today, who isn't one of the "savior sheeple."

Anonymous said...

i think the bigger fact of the matter here is why these children were in the possession of a fire arm in the first place ???? All this is , is the media whipping up people's hatred of each other in this case Christians and Athiests.

DTyler said...

I find it interesting that people bring religion into it. It doesn't matter what they were arguing about only the result.

And does believing that the idea of "Hate crimes" is silly at best, and evil at worst, me stoking the flames of my Christian ignorance?

Anonymous said...

uhh lets see here i dnt think you have the hole story hun i read the story and i see many flaws threw it i dont think you read this before you posted it. and besides the fact known of you people new dan or james for that matter so dont even begin to understand!

Anonymous said...

One way or another,
He killed him..

As far as I know,
That's not cool.

Anonymous said...

OCT 20 ~The 15-year-old Indianola boy who shot and killed his friend in June received a plea agreement today in Warren County District Court that will keep him locked up until he is 18.
Daniel Allen Nadler pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter in the shooting death of James David Doyle, 16. Doyle died of a single shotgun blast to the upper torso at Nadler’s home June 27.
via ~http://indianolarecordherald.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20101020/INDIANOLA01/101020017

archaeopteryx said...

Reading the article and the posts, I don't see that anyone has mentioned taking a closer look at the perpetrator's parents - who leaves a 14-year old alone with a loaded gun? Who indoctrinates a kid so heavily in religion, of any brand, that they are so invested that they get angry enough to kill anyone who doubts?

Was the crime premeditated? I don't believe it was, more likely a crime of passion, which doesn't excuse it, but should serve to lessen the penalty.

Prison is nothing more than a college for criminals; time this boy spends in prison will only harden him and teach him new crimes and how to commit them. He needs to be institutionalized where he will get therapy, both for the life he took, and for the religious indoctrination that created the mentality of a jihadist and brought him to the point where he would kill for it.

If anyone needs to spend time in prison, it's the parents, not the boy.

pax vobiscum,
archaeopteryx
in-His-own-image.com

Snowbrush said...

I think your first commenter nailed it when she wrote that the outcome would be very different if the Christian were killed.

As for it being a hate crime, however, I'm under the impression that you have to a member of designated group for your assailant to be so charged.

I see that one of your Anons gave the trial outcome. I had the thought that the murderer's parents might be liable for damages. I know I would do everything I could to bring these Christians before the court.

platocrates said...

I'm an atheist. Christian or not, the kid deserves to be fully prosecuted...he killed someone, obviously with malicious intent. To get pissed off that he's not getting charged with a hate crime is an egotistical self centered side for atheists to take. Hate crimes in and of themselves are moronic, it only takes away from the ultimate goal, anyone else still remember what that is? LIVE TOGETHER PEACEFULLY, get rid of the labels, just humans living among other humans. How the hell is that supposed to happen when you put SO much emphasis on race, and religious beliefs. In doing this we are only separating ourselves further, which is inevitably going to end in more "hate" crimes.

Send his ass to prison for life, but not because he's christian, because he's a murderer.

Brittany said...

I am a Christian, I also think the 14 year old should be tried as an adult. Two of my siblings are openly Athiest and you don't see me killing them. I accept it. It's people like the 14 year old that give people like me a bad rep. I also agree with Kate. I belive there is such a bad stereotype placed on Athiests. It would have been a different story if the Athiest had killed the Christian. That's sad to me. Murder is murder, reguardless if belief, or lack there of.

Zelgius said...

The logic behind hate crimes has always escaped me. The law should not be concerned with why a person did something, only that they committed the act. Justice is suppose to be blind, doesn't that include the motive?

Me said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Me said...

Athiests act like they're so victimised. There are so many religions all over the world whose followers are tortured EVERY DAY for things they never did and the offenders escape justice. Not to mention that the case may not even BE reported, let alone UNDER reported. This isn't any differet.

I'm not saying it's OK for the murder not to be treated as a hate crime, because I think it should be. This is a serious matter. But I'm just saying it's funny how you tend to bring this up and not the other million murders that other religions face and the murderes escaped the evidence simply because their religion is "superior" in a particular area of the world.
It's also not fair to judge Christains based on what a 14 year old boy did, and how some people judged the incident. I'm not Christian, but I'm just saying.

tan said...

we're not talking about all over the world. its al little closer to home than that. and no on is "dragging religion in to have a point to rally around" WE're not making it about religion. the kids already did that for us. the motive was clear and the punishment is also clear, if it is not administered then maybe america will finally realize how corrupt our justice system (And government but thats a different story) really is.

dave said...

Hate crime? Is it a crime to hate? Is it a crime to hate fat people, or gays, or christians, or atheists, or FFA (Future Farmers of America)? Is it a crime to hate demos or repubs, or nazis or communists? I would say NO! Is it a crime to murder someone? YES! I say prosecute for the crime of murder!

Anonymous said...

I think that if an Atheist boy had killed the Christian then the Atheist wouldn't get off so easy. I think that there should be equal justice. Its the Christians that installed the laws in the first place they should have to follow them too. It was murder.

Brandon Smith said...

First of all the kid is a minor. So you guys see to be arguing that a 14 year old should be tried as an adult which is pretty effed up if you ask me. Second, the facts have not been presented so this whole article is based on speculation.

Anonymous said...

Well of course it comes down to whether they judge him based off ecclesiastical law or U.S. law. If the former, he may be a great hero to the christian community for removing a heathen. But in U.S. law, this is first degree murder.

So, lets hope the judge and jury represent an equal mix of multiple religions, that may at least result in a somewhat fair trial.

Anna said...

I'm with DTyler. It shouldn't matter at all what they were arguing about. The fact of the matter is, they were arguing and a boy was shot and killed. It wasn't an accident, and a 14 year old sure as hell knows that shooting someone is wrong. He should be held accountable for his actions, plain and simple.

Anonymous said...

of course the news papers wont advertise it right, it would cause loads of controversy. but that still doesn't mean that he shouldn't be punished. its against the 8th amendment.

Cora said...

An atheist requires evidence PRIOR to accepting a thing as true.

The thinking atheists among us will want to see all the evidence against James Doyle's friend PRIOR to deciding he should hang or walk free (or something different).

Those here clambering for blood seem as irrational as most bible-thumping christians.

Anonymous said...

"I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ." -Mahatma Gandhi

Anonymous said...

Ghandi believed in a false God. Christianity is not a religion its having a realationship with God so I don't get why most of you biased minded people find it that Christianity killed this kid so before 6ou judge get your facts straight you should never go around categorizing christians as who you say they are because a kid murdered a kid who didn't believe in God. Thank God you're blessed enough to bon this earth and stop judging people based on their beliefs its pathetic.

Anonymous said...

that is F***cking ridiculous!!!!!!!!!! Over Religon!? I get both their views on both athiest and christian. But to SHOOT a kid and end his life over that.!!!!!! is beyond stupid. I think that its the dumbest mistake to let that kid get out. he deserves more time than that. How do you think the doyle family feels!!?

Anonymous said...

No one needs to being talking bad about james cause that was my boyfriends best friend so please dont be talking shit

Anonymous said...

I was extremely close to james doyle... and nadler got out of lock up in less than a year. Its completely ridiculous

Anonymous said...

I am friends with both those kids! Fuck this article! Fuck you who think you know what happened that night because you don't! Fucking talk about this to your self and others fine, but don't put this shit on the internet because you clearly don't know who those boys are. James was not an atheist, he was defending another one of my friends that were there because that other guy was in fact atheist. James was a Christian and loved his Lord. The shot gun was jammed and it was that while night they were cold cocking it add pointing it at each other and pulled the trigger. I have and still talk to Dan and he feels so much remorse it's not even funny. He hates himself, he loved James, we all did and do. So fuck off and mind your own fucking business!

Anonymous said...

It's me who put the angry comment again! The beginning of this is just fucking ignorant and stupid! That bullshit with the hormonal teen+ shot gun bull shit. If you were in front of me right now I'd beat the living shit out if you. You ignorant son of a bitch!

Mojoey said...

Hormonal and ignorant....

Anonymous said...

Erm. Atheist is a noun...

Anonymous said...

A hate crime by law has different punishment than a non hate crime. Maybe do some reading regarding law before commenting?

DanV said...

A pretty sad testament to the hanger-on to bronze-age mysticism, and why its of decreasing relevance in today's world.

Yeah, this hate crime needs to be treated as such