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Okay, so there's this kid we want you to meet. He did something terrible. And his story

really challenges the conversation we've been having so far on this podcast about what we

consider fair and just when young people

commit violent crimes. He has a great name that, well, we just can't tell you. We're going to

call him honor instead, because it's kind of related. WNYC reporter Sarah Gonzalez has been

following his story for the past 10 months.

Before I tell you about the worst thing Honor has ever done in his life, just meet him with me.

Honor is sitting at his kitchen table wrapped in a royal blue blanket hiding his face. So I do what I usually do with shy kids. So this is my recorder. I show him my equipment and put my headphones on him.

No, I hold the mic though. I hear like something. Oh my God, my voice is weird. I don't like it.

He's a total teen boy. Oh my God. It's so gross. It's so gross. Take it off.

Slowly, he starts coming out of his blanket. He kind of looks like he's going bald. He's barefoot,

shirtless, and in his boxers. Blanket on the floor now, hairy chest out. And he has a big scar near his heart.

And honors, goofy. So's his mom. They're super

close. They both get what they call their pregnancy cravings. And right now, they're obsessed

with pork buns from Trader Joe's. It's so good and so soft. It's like a dumpling of heaven,

but it's not a dumpling. It's a Chinese pork bun. Once you heat them up, they look like big fluffy marshmallows.

His mom is spunky and she's funny. She keeps her bills with the takeout menus so they can marinate, she says.

She has a pretty serious case of anxiety and is on medication. She hates,

a crowded bus and a busy Manhattan street. So she relies on honor a lot when she feels like

shoving someone who bumps into her. It's that calming voice. Mom, it's not worth it. Just let it go. Just ignore it and move on.

I'm like, okay, I'm gonna be good now.

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