You hit the nail on the head. I went to school with sidloskas and was friends with him when he wasn't getting into gang related shit. I always tried to talk to him (his dad was ill withg terminal cancer until his death about a year ago. He definitely had his issues) and get his mind off doing stupid shit; telling him gangs are a dead end road, that gangbanging and all that shit will only lead you to jail, institutions or death, but none of it ever seemed to sink in. No matter what happened, to him, he was always the right one, the one getting screwed over. He didn't fully understand the real life consequences of what was going on. Poor kid but he needs to sit in jail for the rest of his life or at least long enough to where he can't physically harm anyone. He is dangerous, stupid, callous,.. I could go on but I think you get the picture. Yes he is a human being that has a heart and a soul.. too bad he doesn't have a fucking conscience.

I think that there is no right to either side of this situation, i knew devin personally, we use to go to the same school, we hung out together and everything but i do believe it was wrong for him to rob them or anyone at that fact but like i was always taught two wrongs dont make a right, and this was no reason to have some sweet innocent 11yr old boy loose his life over, i mean this situation could of been solved in a much civilized manner, no devin was not right for robbing them but those three guys were deffinantly in the wrong for shooting there house up, now we've lost a life over some (excuse my language) stupid ass shit. . !

Alex's mother is my cousin. She is not dead - sick at heart - but not dead. She was critically ill a couple of years ago - but she is doing well except for this tragedy. Alex's father did die a couple of years ago.

I live in the same neighborhood as the Sheffeys. They are the trash of the neighborhood. Bad things happen to sorry ass people. I knew Nick and am sorry he had such horrible parents.

the parents aren't the problem it's people like you that want to run their mouth about something that they have no idael about have youever been to theur house. i mean get real

where did my typed message go?

Hey Lisa the Sheffey parents are the problem. The Dad is a someone who doesnt give a crap where his kids are and the mother just sits around the house all day doing nothing. Have you seen their house? I mean really. They dont take care of the house like they dont take care of the kids. Period. The county should have taken those kids away from them a long time ago. Sad Sad Sad

I've known Cody around five years, and while I have never liked the lifestyle he has lived, there was a person underneath I loved, who cared for me and supported me in the worst times and situations. The past year from everything that he told me he was trying to do better with himself, quit drinking/smoking/all that bulls__t. Although I know its the right thing for him to be in jail, it hurts me to know that someone who I truly loved and trusted as a brother decided to end his life so effectively by (allegedly) taking someone else's. I'm sorry for everyone's losses in this case, for their were many.

to all who have cruel things to say about the sheffey family,
i am debbie's niece, i don't appreciate anybody saying the things they have said about them. if you don't know the whole damn story shut the f--k up

I went to school with Alex "Sids" for a couple of years he was a wanna be Goon in the wrong place at the wrong time but he ordered a hit that killed a 11 year old he deserves to pay with atleast a part of his miserable life.

Mark,
He is not at home, nor did they let him out to go to his brother's funeral.

James,

I understand everything you said. But if you could have heard Debbie, Nick's poor mom wailing at that poor boy's funeral....you could see she would have done ANYTHING to avoid this. The pain that she, David, and Michael are going through is unimaginable to me. The eulogy was beautiful. It was a Saturday, we should not have been at church that day :( Let's all come together for Michael, that poor boy lost his other half!!!
My heart goes out to David and Debbie. RIP nick!!

Dear Spanky,

You sound like a very caring young man. We need more young men like you around. Keep being a good friend :)

It's unlikely that the 16 yo will spend any time in jail.He is probably at home with his mommy right now.
The scary part is that when he goes to trial he will be put on probation and the court will force him to go back to school with your kids, where they will tell him it's not his fault and when he finally kills some decent person's son or daughter the authorities will scratch their heads and wonder how this could have ever gone wrong.

What a shame.
I grew up in Stone Mountain and Chamblee and and I can tell you that even if your kids go to the best schools in Dekalb county,these guys are going to be there.Get them out at any cost ie. private school,longer commute.No convenience is worth your childs life.
I knew plenty of kids like this growing up.They are raised by mtv and the juvenile justice system and every day one of them brings a gun to little Johnny's middle school.
Disgusting!

I cannot speak for anyone else involved in this tragic incident, but I personally knew Alex as a fellow student at his college and as one of the few people who he could open up to as a friend. When we see the faces of criminals on a report like this, we are conditioned to see them as subhuman entities, or monsters. But the reality, which is more fearful than what we would suppose, is that these kids, who will likely be imprisoned for life, are human beings like you and me. They were not born to be killers or drug dealers, but life in this cruel world fused violence and selfishness into their identities. Alex cared about many things and many people, and he wished that the world had more healing within it, but the loss of his father and the death that followed him everywhere and his rejection by the world made him believe that he could not survive as anything but a criminal. I told him that you can only expect positive changes in your life if you give your things, your mercy, yourself to the world when you need it to give back, but he had been taken from so much that he could never understand what I meant. I grieve for Nicholas Sheffey and his family, and I know that Alex and his friends earned their time, but when you see something as horrible as this in the news, you should go help someone who is helplessly in pain so that maybe a future tragedy can be averted.

I'm a student at the university where Alex attented, and he went to the school where I attended middle school. He's not a deadbeat and he's not a thug, and you're a grown woman bashing a teenager on the internet - classy. Alex has a great heart, he just allowed himself to get caught up in situations and things that were harmful towards him. Do you have ANY idea how many students in college do drugs and get in fights? People in Tuscaloosa get arrested every weekend for drinking, posession, and simple assault. Alex didn't pull the trigger. I am certainly not standing up for any of these boys, what happened was HORRIBLE and those involved should most CERTAINLY be punished, but I can only imagine how much Alex is beating himself up for what happened, the last thing he needs is more grief from other people. I've driven him home to Atlanta before from school and we were friends. He doesn't have a black heart. Yeah, he definitely messed up and it's so unfortunate that he didn't think all of his actions through. I feel nothing but total sadness for the loss of the family and for Alex's mother who I'm sure is a wonderful and caring mother, but you're a mother too. How would you feel if people were on the internet bashing your son for something. You know that if you're son got involved in things like this, you would NEVER just let him rot in jail. It's maternal instinct to take care of your child. And as a parent, its your job to parent a child so actually YES you take away privileges. I'm in college and my parents still parent me, but also give me the space I need to make my own decisions and learn from them - that sounds like great parenting to me. You have to show your children what it means to respect from the day that they're born and raise them in an appropriate environment for them to be stable. Not only does Alex's mom have to suffer for her son's misfortune, but also for the death of Alex's father, something that has a huge weight on Alex's heart. You as a grown woman should know better than to bring down someone whose past you do NOT know everything of. I'm only 19, but I would NEVER in my LIFE get on the internet and bash someone calling them "deadbeats" and "thugs" and saying that they "get what they deserve." That's not at ALL your problem, OR your business, let the justice system do their job, I'm sure that you have more important things in your life to deal with than a kid who spent the night at your house a few times and pissed you off. You never fully know someone's background or family history, you never know why people act the way that they do and you CERTAINLY have no right to judge him. No one is perfect, and he messed up, but you don't need to bring the weight down on him when he already has enough from his family, himself, and the legal system.

This is a tragic story and my heart goes out to the family. I have read everyone's comments and I understand the feelings we all share. Devin was a bad dude with parents who let those two little boys roam the neighborhood at all hours of the day without watching them. Devin was kicked out of high school and was busted for stealing a car last year. Now he goes and commits armed robbery of some drug dealers and the only reason he is sorry and trying to change his life is because he got caught, Mr tough guy when he is holding a gun but now he will be a 16 yr old punk who is going to REAL jail this time and he will have a tough time dealing with real criminals.....I hope the youngest boy gets help and doesn't go down Devins path. The parents have a chance to make a difference for him so i hope they do. The other 3 losers will get what they deserve......i hope its life in prison. sad story. Without Devin commiting these crimes maybe the ending would have been better.

You are all so off the map. My son attended school with Sidloskas and he spent the night in my home several times. He was a bully and when I refused to allow him to do something in my home he threatened me. I sent him home and never allowed him back. I knew his mother and she is a very thoughtful, caring woman. When a man child hits a certain age, there is not a lot a single mom can do to control him. I thank God my son's father is very involved in his life and, when I couldn't handle him, he stepped in and slapped the child upside the head. As a parent, you can control them to a certain point, but when they reach the age of 17 or 18, you no longer have that control. What are you going to do, take away television, game systems, computer, car privileges? Let them get arrested for these types of horrendous things. They deserve it. My heart goes out to the family of that innocent child. They should definitely be in jail and prosecuted to the full extent of the law. And by the way, some of you people really should have learned to spell and use correct grammar - perhaps you won't find yourself in their positions.

Signed,
The mother of a US Army Corporal. I did the right things. Deadbeats, who suppport these thugs, you people should think about a better path for your life.