Chicago Tribune

Dahleen Glanton: A kid charged with his friend's murder during a botched burglary in 2008 got a second chance. The teens charged in suburban Chicago deserve one too

Eleven years ago, a group of teenagers broke into a house near Rockford, Ill., planning to steal a cache of guns. The boys had meticulously planned the burglary. They knew the homeowner, who was supposed to be in the hospital that night.

The house was dark when they arrived. To make sure no one was home, they knocked on the door and threw a rock through the window. The coast seemed clear, so the youngest boys, ages 14, 15 and 16, went in. The 18-year-old waited in the car.

What the boys didn't know was

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