Essay on Neal And Jesse Eldridge

Neal And Jesse Eldridge Term Papers

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Neal and Jesse Eldridge are two young men on trial. For over ten years,

they suffered severe physical, emotional, and psychological abuse at the hands

of their father. It ended the day they shot and killed him. Now Neal and Jesse

are charged, as adults, with first degree murder; they face the possibility of life

in prison. All this because Arkansas Department of Health Services, DHS, did

nothing to step in and save these young lives.

On January 24th, 1998, Rick Eldridge was supposed to take his sons, Neal

and Jesse, to “Buckarama”, a deer hunting show at the Little Rock Expo Center.

Before they left that morning, Rick caught the two teens smoking cigarettes. He

told them they could not go to “Buckarama”(“Neal & Jesse Eldridge: Child

Abuse Tragedy” 1), then tried to suffocate them. “Neal said his father picked

him up and threw him headfirst into a wall” (Haddigan 1). As he left, Rick told

Neal and Jesse that when he returned “he would beat them to death.” He also

gave them an “impossible list of household chores” to do before he returned,

and said that he would kill them if they didn’t.

Fearing for their lives, the boys, ages 14 and 15 at the time, decided they

had to protect their mother and sisters, as well as themselves, from the monster

they called Dad. So the brothers loaded their .22-caliber, semi-automatic,

Marlin rifles. Jesse stood behind the corner of the family’s house, and Neal

stood atop a “shed next to the house.” When Rick got out of his truck, the boys

began to fire. Jesse shot once, but he lost his nerve and lowered his aim to his

father’s legs(“Neal & Jesse Eldridge: Child Abuse Tragedy” 1). Neal shot four

more times aiming for Rick’s head and neck. They then retreated into the

“wooded area near the house and unloaded their rifles”(Shull 1).

Neal and Jesse’s mother, who worked nights at Wal-mart and slept

during the day, woke upon hearing the gunfire. She came to the porch, and saw

Rick lying there. Rachel, the boys’ sister, ran to Larry Plummer, a neighbor, for

help. Both Mrs. Eldridge and Rachel assumed that Rick had a seizure, and hit

his head on the porch.

When the police arrived, Neal and Jesse stepped out of the woods. “Jesse

told State Police Cpl. Jerry Roberts that they had killed their father because of

child abuse”(Haddigan 1). Roberts stated that both Neal and Jesse “were calm,

collected, very precise, and respectful to the officer”. Sgt. Aaron Duvall is the

“Pope County Sheriff’s Department criminal investigator in charge of the case.”

He said that Neal asked “if his father was dead”, and then began to cry when he

was told yes(Shull 1).

Neal and Jesse are now charged as adults with first degree murder. The

Arkansas state prosecutor said, “This was an ambush--definitely first degree

murder.” This means that “they could spend the rest of their lives in

prison”(“Neal & Jesse Eldridge: Child Abuse Tragedy” 1).

An expert on family violence at the University of Pennsylvania, Richard

Gelles, talked about this case during a “20/20” interview. He said “he was

convinced the boys ‘had a credible fear of their lives,’” and feels that the DHS

failed these boys(“Neal & Jesse Eldridge: Child Abuse Tragedy” 1). Many

psychologists agree that exposure to physical abuse causes children, especially

boys, to become aggressive and violent. It has also been proven that “26 percent

of incarcerated delinquents who had committed murder had experienced

physical abuse; they were also more likely than those who had not suffered

abuse to have directed their violence toward members of their immediate

family.” Abused children often choose one of two options. They either fight or

flee. “They become involved in crime, especially violent crime. Almost half of

violent teenage crimes occur in homes during family arguments”(Fagan 1).

Neal and Jesse’s history has been filled with traumatic abuse. They stated

that Rick “was an explosive, domineering abuser who savagely beat them, their

sisters, and their mother for years”(Haddigan 1). Mrs. Eldridge described her

husband “as a gun toting, pot-smoking 6’4” brute who punished his four

children -- including his young daughters -- in bizarre ways.” The first incident

Jesse remembers, took place at the age of five. He said, “ I was holding my

spoon wrong when I was eating my jelly. And he slammed me down on the

floor and stuck the handle of the spoon on my ear and it started ringing and

bleeding.” Rick Eldridge “wrapped soiled underwear around their heads, and

took photos to humiliate them”(“Neal & Jesse Eldridge: Child Abuse Tragedy”

1). Rick many times carried a pistol around his waist. He beat the boys with his

fists, as well as an ammunition belt, or a stick(Haddigan 1)....

Fagan, Patrick F. “The Child Abuse Crisis: The Disintegration of Marriage,
Family, and the American Community.” 1999. Apr. 12, 2000.
.
Haddigan, Michael. “Justifiable Homicide.” Nov. 26, 1999. Apr. 12, 2000.
.
“Neal & Jesse Eldridge: Child Abuse Tragedy.” Feb. 17, 1999. Apr. 12, 1999.
.
Shull, Laura L. The Courier. June 23, 1998. Apr. 10, 2000.
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