In January of 2012, a 15-year-old boy was charged with the murders of his adoptive parents in Oakland. Now, Moses Kamin admits that he felt sad while strangling his parents, who were employed as a clinic physician’s assistant and jail psychologist. According to news reports, the bodies of Kamin’s parents were found stuffed in the trunk of the family car. When Kamin appeared in Superior Court in January, he did not enter a plea.
Police officers found the boys parents, Susan Poff, 50, and Kamin, 54, in the trunk of a PT Cruiser under the cover of blankets. The car was parked in Oakland’s Lake Merritt district, outside of the family home. News reports state that investigators believed Kamin had attempted to set the car on fire but was not successful. He allegedly confessed to police the next day and was arrested.
It was revealed that the boy had been suspended from school twice, and was perhaps fearful that he would be disciplined by his parents for his latest suspension. This may have been the motive for the killings, according to Officer Phong Tran. Kamin has a black belt in karate, and according to reports strangled his mother first following an argument regarding the school suspension. After hiding his mother’s body, it is alleged that Kamin attacked his father after waiting for him to come in from work. The two adopted Kamin in 2002.
Moses Kamin admitted murdering his parents during a police interrogation that was captured on video and played during Kamin’s preliminary hearing on Tuesday, September 11. A judge will decide whether the evidence that exists is sufficient enough for Kamin to be tried for the murders.
Oakland criminal defense attorneys know that the penalties for murder are extremely harsh, and that many times juveniles who commit serious or violent crimes face the same penalties that adults face. Whether you are charged with first- or second-degree murder, capital murder or voluntary/involuntary manslaughter, you face consequences which will likely include a criminal record and time (perhaps even life) behind bars if convicted.
If you have been arrested for murder or any serious criminal offense, it is imperative that you consult with a skilled Oakland criminal defense lawyer whose primary objective will be to have the charges against you dismissed or reduced.
