Channel 4 (UK) Documentaries

12 Year Old Lifer (2013x76)

Air date: May 02, 2013

In April 2010, in the small town of Enchanted Hills in Indiana, USA, 12-year-old Paul Gingerich helped his friend, 15-year-old Colt Lundy, shoot and kill Colt's stepfather. The shocking murder of Phillip Danner was carried out by two middle-class boys with no prior criminal records. The story has gripped and baffled America. With unprecedented access to both boys, their families, and the ongoing court case, this True Stories film offers an extraordinary insight into the crime and its aftermath, as the key players give poignant and candid interviews telling their side of the story. After plotting the crime in the local playground after school, Paul and Colt shot Phillip multiple times, with his own guns. They then stole his car, fled the scene and were picked up by the police 200 miles away. To date, there is no known motive for the crime. In spite of their ages, both Paul and Colt were tried and sentenced as adults, and were each sentenced to serve 30 years. At 12, Paul is one of the youngest children in American history to be waived to adult court. Colt was sent straight to maximum security adult prison and will be transferred to the adult wing when he turns 18. Paul's family launched an appeal for him to be retried as a juvenile, meaning he could avoid being sent to adult prison and remain in a juvenile facility.