yes he should he knew what was going on and could have called police as an informant... then I would say cut him loose... but I say fry him

They were all there . They should all be punished. Cant wait until trial is completely over so that granat family can finally get their peace.

No, I dont think he really believed that the other 3 would go through with it. He probably thought they were full ogf crap. Afterall he was only 16.

I think theres a lot of fishy things still going on with this case.A lot of unanswered questions. It doesn't make sense to know your friends are going to brutally murder two people and just sit outside the house and wait. Its the first time you hear that people planing a murder need a get a way driver. Something doesn't sit right with that. But if he did plan and he was in on the murder then he deserve the same sentencing as the other boys. If he didnt, then no he should not get charged with murder.

Before we comment on the accomplice issue, it is important to state our view that this defense attorney Joel Brodsky is behaving unprofessionally when he argues that an accused accomplice to murder cannot be CHARGED with a crime because of a recent Supreme Court ruling on SENTENCING. Figuring he went to law school if he is a Defense Attorney, we assume he knows the difference between how you CHARGE a crime, and how an offender is SENTENCED. Two very different things. Since in the last 3 weeks since the Supreme Court ruled Illinois has not YET changed its sentencing options to comply wtih the ruling, as it surely will in the very near future, we can all rest comfortably that by the time this case comes to trial, an optional sentence will exist in law. That should have nothing to do with how the accused offender is charged now. And we have written Mr Brodsky to tell him so. As to the accomplice issue, there are "accomplices" and there are "accomplices". The difference is case by case - did they KNOW what was going to happen? Did they help plan it? Then yes, they are equally culpable if they help carry it out. www.teenkillers.org

Mohammad Salahat had gone to school with my son since 6th grade. Although, they never became friends nor they barely ever spoke to another, I have a mix feeling for this boy for few reasons. One is that he is in the same age as my son is and due to this fact I have a hard time to cope with the life in prison sentence while this boy hasn't fully engaged in his life yet and had yet to accomplish anything accept for participating in this bloody murder. According to the media, he was just the driver, but at the same time he knew where he was going and what the final outcome will turn out to be. He also, right after the murder, not only acted in the school as if nothing had happened, but had no objections to spent money earned in such a horrific manner. Should he face life in prison? Based on his age and his willingness in participation in murder, even as a driver, in my opinion, he should spend at least 25 years in prison without pearl. If he goes free, whose to say that he won't commit another crime/murder in the near feature. Being capable of such an act in this age, its beyond my imagination. Letting him go free without paying any consequences, may also provoke other teenagers to act just as stupid. He knew what he was there for and he should pay for it.

The article is inaccurate when it states, "a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling (Miller v. Alabama) states that juveniles cannot be sentenced to life in prison." That is NOT what the U.S. Supreme Court held. The Court held that sentencing statutes that require mandatory life sentences without affording the trial court discretion are unconstitutional. So long as the trial court operates within its own discretion, rather than following a statutory prescription mandating a life sentence, a teen may absolutely be sentenced to life without parole. Please correct your article.

I too am sickened by this whole case. Not one of them should be allowed to walk due to a "loophole" or "technicality". They ALL planned and knew what they were doing, whether Salahat sat in the car or not, he knew what the plan was and what was happening (or going to happen), drove them there and drove them away from there, so he is NOT INNOCENT by any means. I have absolutely NO SYMPATHY for any of them and hope they rot in hell.

From the article it seems that the defense attorney was saying that the sentencing and the charge are relevant in this case. If it is unconstitutional to sentence a juvi with a cruel and harsh punishment then how do you sentence a first degree murder charge if it comes with a sentence that would be considered cruel and too harsh for a minor? It is a little confusing to understand to me. As far as this minor goes, moms do we know that this child really knew what was going on in this house. It is going to take more evidence to be presented for me to jump the gun and say to fry him. I do not believe prosecution or the defense have proved their case when it comes to this co-def.

"Such a sentence is unconstitutional. And you can't charge [someone with] a crime where there's no sentence [option]." This quote is what defined the purpose of the article to me in what the motion was saying...

That so called minor knew darn well where he was going and what was going to take place.. Brodskyi is the same nucklehead that said Drew Peterson is innocent. I just can't take the unjust justice system we have. Those two people that were murdered must not be forgotten. This is about them not the rights of the 4 loosers that all took apart in the murder of these wonderful parents!!

Yes HE "DEFINITELY" knew what was going to happen when HE drove them to the house at 2:00 AM (again WHY is a 16 year old out at 2 AM??), then HE drove them away from the house, HE helped them divide up the cash and then HE helped them hide the murder weapons and bloody clothes. No, there's "no way" that HE knew about any of it. BS!

Also, anyone else find it funny that the 2 Caucasian kids can no longer afford a private attorney, yet the other "two" non-Caucasian can? Unbelievable!

They all planned this out and for this kid to claim innocence is garbage. At any point, he could've called the authorities and reported what was going to happen, what was going on or what just happened, but no, he went to school for the next month like NOTHING HAPPENED. John and Maria deserved so much better!

Guilty....Guilty....Guilty......no loopholes PLEASE!!!

From one mom to another Mom Thank you!!! Enough is Enough

@Mom what is the relevance of the two white kids not being able to afford an attorney anymore? You racist piece of crap. Just because Ehab and Moe aren't white they shouldn't be able to afford a private attorney on their own? Wake up! Arab-Americans tend to be quite wealthy. As for Chris not being able to afford one, maybe they've just gone broke, and for John... His parents are DEAD, his money was bound to run out.

@mom i also don't really understand ur comment about why the arabs have lawyers and the other kids don't . Johns aunts were paying but stopped doesn't mean they can't afforded it.

Two "Mom"s is obviously two too many! Maybe Old Bob could find a Groupon and take you two on a nice boat trip in Aruba!

Dan,

That is not what Brodsky argued either. The article is inaccurate when it states "Salahat was 16 years old at the time he was alleged to have participated in the murder, Brodsky said, and a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling (Miller v. Alabama) states that juveniles cannot be sentenced to life in prison."

Neither the Supreme Court nor Brodsky's "reading" of it is that "juveniles cannot be sentenced to life in prison." The Supreme Court held that MANDATORY life sentences are unconstitutional. Brodsky argued that because a life sentence would be *mandated* under current Illinois law were Salahat convicted, it is unconstitutional to charge him with that crime.

Neither the Supreme Court nor Brodsky's "reading" of it is that "juveniles cannot be sentenced to life in prison" as the article continues to state. That is inaccurate, plain and simple. Juveniles most certainly can be sentenced to life in prison, provided the sentence comes from a court weighing individual factors in the particular case rather than coming from a mandatory sentencing statute that does not allow the court discretion to weigh individual factors.

Maybe the Aunt (family) stopped paying private lawyer because they finally realized that he is guilty there is no way out so why should they spend their money on the killer who killed their family member.

@Mom - According to their religion, many Arabs in this country don't recognize American marriage laws as 'valid' or 'true,' so they will divorce through the court system, yet still live together as man and wife under Islamic laws. This allows the wife to file for Public Aid - claiming no income, and supporting the children, while the whole family still lives together. It's very common, and legal, but unethical.

Brodsky just might be able to get Moe off. Who knows, he is also defending Drew Peterson. If he can get that scum off, then anything is possible.

Alexandria,
Speaking of racists, what's the difference between Scum Drew and Scum Moe?
Explain please.
You say "All I can say is teenagers do dumb things and don't think about where their actions will lead them". WHAT???? This crime was not just a "dumb thing" that teenagers do! Teenagers may TP a house, throw eggs at a house, come home later than they should, smoke or drink. NOT KILL their family members!!
John being one of your "closest friends" explains a lot though, Sweetheart :-D

@Virginia don't judge me, because "Sweetheart" you don't know me. What does John being my friend explain about me? Regardless of what happened, I'm going to stand by him regardless. Yea, it was very wrong, but still... You guys don't even know him. You're just judging him by what the media says. That's the probably with you rubbernecks, always being nosy, and judging a person solely off of what the media says. Well I've got news for you guys! The news tends to exaggerate quite a bit, especially In high profile cases. Why don't you stop focusing on John's case so much, and do something with your lives. Make sure your own kids are acting right before talking about how much of a monster Chris, John, Ehab, and Mohammad are. The same thing that happened to Mr. and Mrs. Granat can happen to you. Kids just do stupid things. So watch what you say. Ps. If John is such a monster as the media portrays him to be, why would his family continue to support him through all of this? Exactly... He can't do anything for them, so why would they support him if he was such a terrible person? Think...

Moe's task in the Murder committed by His Friends, was to Drive the Slugs to & From the Murder scene @ 2 am. He waited in the car while the others Played their parts in the Gruesome Murder of John's Parents. My guess is when the other 3 returned to the car, they weren't exactly say, Clean? Didn't your friend Moe notice anything strange about that?
NOTHING, that could've happened in that house, COULD Possibly warrant these actions!

@ Alexandria
"and for John... His parents are DEAD, his money was bound to run out."
Dumb teenager huh?

Is it just me or isnt it really weird to have a get a way driver for a plotted murder? Get away drivers are used when you need to be in and out. With all do respect but this wasn't a in and out thing. Why did he get to sit in the car and the other boys had to do the killings while he sat there like an idiot. I mean besides that it did say that Salahat was the youngest went to a different school and all the other ones went to Stagg. How long and how good did he know these boys?? He might have got used. Im just not so sold on the idea that he knew what was going to happen because the police say so. I want justice for the Granats like everyone else, but i also want the truth.

@Mohammad didn't know them that well, they had only known each other for about a month. He was Ehab's friend. He wasn't necessarily the "Getaway" driver, but he was basically Chris and Ehab's ride to John's house, because they didn't have cars.

Also does any one know if palos patch writers go to every court case or how they get all this information??

What pisses me off about the Patch is that they didn't tell me that Frank Thomas was at the new Jewel the other day...
...Stop making excuses for these dumb As$es... People died, and they did it and knew it... They are scum bags... Like he didn't know, please, give us a break. You're backing a a misfit that would kill his own flesh and blood for 8 k and a hooker.
It's like those idiots that chant for Joe Paterno or were shocked at the sanctions, like he's still a good guy or something... Those sanctions were crap and a slap on the wrist... Berreta did that shi&!

Ok thanks Lorraine

Just because you know someone from the past and because their family still supports them after a heinous act does not mean that you can continue to claim that this person is not a monster or even a good person. You must judge John by all of his actions on the scale weighed together at once. And if you ask me no amount of good small deeds can outweigh MURDER especially of your own parents who sacrificed more then he ever did to others. So ALEXANDRIA lay off your "best friend". People have a right to judge him given the facts of the case at the moment.
As regards to Salahat, more proof needs to be evident as to his knowledge of the plan that night. Who's to say his friends didn't tell him that they were just going to steal the money? But the fact that he didn't contact the police after they came to the car with blood on their hands should be a strike against him even if he didn't know about the murder plan.

As always, we are open to talking with anyone who knows the accused men and feel like they have a perspective to add to our coverage. You can always email palos@patch.com We will continue yo follow each status hearing.

If you ask some kids from Stagg what John was all about they will give you a 2 word answers POT HEAD !! He is a heartless bastard and deserves to stay in jail for the rest of his life with his 3 other buddies. If my best friend did that yes I wouldn't b someone that wouldn't want to talk to him ever again but definitely our friendship would never be the same. If he is capable of killing his parents in such a brutal way he could do the same to his friends no difference.

Sounds like Alexandria is a silly 19 year old, at least she sounds like it. Bottom line is, he wanted his parents killed because he hated them and him Mom threw out his pot plants. Pretty lame excuse to kill someone. He is a sociopath along with all of his derelict friends who went along to make some bucks. What goes around comes around and it will come back to all of them ten fold, if not more. Also, if you recall after this happened, his relatives were attempting to have him removed from the will, as they all felt he was guilty. Of course, they are going to show up in court, they want justice.

I sleep perfectly fine... Thankyou! After all there is no hard evidence that John did this. We could all just be making assumptions. You don't even know John... Who are you to judge. You don't know if he was a pothead or not, you're just going off of a stupid article.

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@Joe Wilson you're absolutely right!

As I read these comments, I fear and question the legitimacy of our criminal prosecuting system. Every submission comes from a potential juror (except the teenagers, of course), yet almost every post preemptively claims to "know" what the defendants' intents were and the intricate facts of the alleged crime. At the very core of our system of justice is the doctrine of innocence. It's up to the state to prove every element of the crimes with which they charge the victims, and to leave no reasonable doubt in our minds. The original question to this thread was whether the driver should be held to the same standard as the three who entered the house and killed the parents. The answer is simple: no. Whether or not he knew of the alleged crime, he did not kill the victims. How can a juror decide, beyond a reasonable doubt, that the driver intended to KILL, knew that HIS ACTS created a strong possibility of death, or was ATTEMPTING a forcible felony.? He couldn't have, he was in the car outside. Yet the many of you would be quick to come to the conclusion that hey, he was in the car, that's just as bad as thrusting the knife. That's not to say that he shouldn't be charged as an accomplice for aiding and abetting the crime, but to charge him with the same crime as charging the actual alleged seems, at the very core, unjust.

If they cannot give him life in prison I think he should get 30years for each murder served consecutively with no chaance for porole.He will be 77 when he gets out if he lives that long.

I'll just say that I hope you're in a better place, John and Maria Granat.

I wholehearted agree with you Patrycja!

I read all the comments and believe that his charges should not be dismissed. He drove those individuals to the house, and yes, stayed in the car during the attacks, but also drove them away from the crime scene, helped to split up the money and aided in hiding the bloody clothes and weapons in the forest preserve. HE IS NOT INNOCENT! He had ample time to "speed away" while he was sitting out there waiting, and report the situation. His lack of actions possibly could've saved John and Maria. One would find it hard to believe that he had "no concept" of what was going to happen or why he was driving Chris and Esam AT 2:00 IN THE MORNING to the house. Money is an ugly thing. People will do things that they normally wouldn't just to get their hands on some. I do not have any sympathy for any of these 4 individuals and may the proper sentencing come their way to vindicative John and Maria. It's the least that can be done for them.....now.

There is no doubt a difference in cultures and in generations. That is not the subject in this article. While we are privelged to live in a great country there are some people who confuse freedom for entitlement to be arrogant and to do as they please. The question was should this accomplice be held to the same sentencing as the rest. If he was involved with the accused and/or had in any part of this crime then yes he should. How long the all individuals involved in this crime knew each other is irrelevant. Although we may not like what Alexandria has to say she too has an opinion. However I must correct her on one point. Alexandria said no one can judge him, only God. Ultimately when our lives end that will be true. However while we are here, we must live by the laws created by man. Your friend can and will be judged by others, a jury of his peers. When you visit your good friend in jail tell him that he and his buddies should've checked the rule book before they engaged in something that they obviously had no problem with. It's only unfortunate the death penalty won't be imposed. Maybe if they were to receive the same penalty they imposed on the Granat's, it would send a message to the teenage wasteland that you can't get away with murder. Now don't say he didn't do. John and Maria didn't kill themselves. You see whether he did it or he stood by while his buddies did it, he's guilty because he chose to not do the right thing. Those are the Rules!

A comment left by the user "arab" was removed because it violated Patch's Terms of Use (profanity).

I think this whole case is Insane!!!!!how could someone even think of doing something like that to family. Weather he did it or not......it sure looks like he did. Wow!!!!! I can even hurt bugs!!!!!! Rip Maria and John granat. So sad. Life is stressful as a parent and child but it doesn't have to come to this!!!! Talk it out. Hug it out. Or get the heak outta there. Sheesh people stop hurting each other!!!!!!!

Too expensive to have them rot in our prisons for life...execute them! My tax dollars need to be spent on educating children and keeping people safe, not housing filthy animals!!!

Hey Alexandria....so much for Granat's family still "supporting him" huh? EVERYONE KNOWS and REALIZES what animals they are except YOU! Get a clue....

"Salahat stood silently during the hearing as at least two dozen of his family members sat in the galley awaiting the judge's decision. Clearly disappointed at the denial of the motion, Salahat did not look toward his family as he was led back into lock-up.

Meanwhile, one of John Granat's aunts was visibly relieved after the proceedings. She cried and clutched one of the prosecutors in a long embrace outside the courtroom."

Regardless if Arabs milk the system for free link or insurance, it is irrelevant to the,real reason comments are being posted...about a,horrible murder case!! People have so much hatred in them they let it get the best of them and go.off topic,and start with racist comments. In the end, there is good and bad in every race and religion, PERIOD!,end of discussion! Everyone everywhere does the same crap, get over it. The purpose of this is to comment about the murder case, not what Arabs are doing with their link card. On another note, I think regardless the chikd is guilty...wether he knew about the plan before the deed or after, he eventually knew then later still hung out with the kids and spent the money on games and fancy dinners...makes him guilty. Was this horrible act worth the $30,000 taken and their freedom taken away? NO!!!! It is appalling and sick and I hope they all pay for their crimes against the poor mother and father who busted their ass to.support and spoil a undeserving child.

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