Last week, the childhood home of James Trimble was vandalized with spray paint and the Halloween-esque slander of the words “House of Horror” and “murder.” The Daily Kent Stater got an exclusive shot of the vandalism and of Trimble’s mother and step-father trying to clean the mess off of their home. The Trimble case is growing in its drama and emotion, causing even the formerly stoic Trimble to show courtroom emotion. Naturally, many are going to feel enraged by his actions against his girlfriend, her son and Sarah Positano, a Kent State student. Even in moments of high emotion, however, it is important to remember the dignity of others, chiefly, in this case, of Trimble’s innocent parents.

To those who committed this crime against Trimble’s innocent parents, shame on you. At best, one can only assume that the death of a mother, child or Kent State student hit a little too close to home in your heart and you, void of any other ideas on how to process these emotions, opted for retributive crime. At worst, one can assume that you’re just an ignorant, immature little person who opportunistically used this harrowing crime as motive for your shenanigans and hi-jinx. In either case, you were wrong, though there can be some understanding as to why the former happened compared to the latter.

Furthermore, it does not do anything to say that Trimble’s parents are in any way responsible for the actions of their son. Such an argument is debatable when the child is still an adolescent and absurd once the child is an adult. Any justification of the vandalism as a means of punishment for poor parenting is as reasonable as Trimble’s recently revoked insanity plea. His parents, if anything, need community support, as they try to grapple with their desire for justice in these senseless killings and their love for their child, regardless of how he has acted. Such a balance is delicate at best and impossible at worst, and vandalizing their home does little to foster their sense of justice and may only help to polarize them against society at large.

At the end of the day, it is quite simple. Do not assault, in any way, the innocent. Doing so makes one a criminal. Furthermore, do not encourage those who would like to assault the innocent. Even if every emotion inside of you is crying out for vengeance, settle for justice and leave Trimble’s innocent parents alone.

The above editorial is the consensus opinion of the Daily Kent Stater editorial board.