The bullies deserved to get their butts kicked, but a knife was too much. As big a pricks as the provokers were, I'm sure that they didn't plan to kill the kid. He should have maced the guy and not stabbed him. That would have put an end to it right there. You ever seen anyone maced? It's not pretty.

Perhaps you have not had your life threatened. Its easy to say he shouldn't have stabbed him, but waht choice do you have when someone wants to cause you harm?

I completely agree with this ruling, in this case, the bully got what he deserved and the bullied kid had every right to defend himself.

Having said that, taking it to the extreme of killing another person is too much. I was bullied when I was in 7th and 8th grade, but after taking three years of intensive self-defense and martial arts classes (Krav Maga and Taekwondo), I beat the living shit out of the guy on 9th grade and afterwards all bullying stopped. Most of the times, all that it takes is to learn how to defend yourself while not taking the abuse constantly.

You've got to consider that in the otherside there's also another human being who has a family and people who love him/her. Sometimes the parents don't know that their kid is a bully (in my case they didn't until he came back all battered and talked to me, my colleagues and the school afterwards) or even if they do and don't act on it, doesn't mean they love him less. Taking someone's life should never be a choice.

Did he have mace? What would you do when confronted with vioelnce against you? Its easy to say do this or do that to cause less harm, but how about those kids dont cause him harm so he has to defend himself. Anyone who is willing to harm others has everything coming to them that happens. It was their choice to put them selves in that spot not his. They could have chosen to not bother others and keep to themselves. Personal responisiblity.

The other side surely didn't consider your side to being with.

What the other side considers is not of my consern. I have my own conscience and I deeply think about everything involved because such decisions shouldn't be made harshly and without thinking deeply about the consequences. 

I ask you this: Do you have any right to take the life of someone else's son or daughter?

I think he defended himself well. Perhaps the other guy should learn better offence, or just not attack/assault people.

I have a hard time feeling bad for someone who apparently wanted to harm someone else. I would prefer to save my symphanty for the one attacked.

Does someone elses daughter or son have the right to harm me? How about they keep to them selves and  I keep to myslef, that way no one is hurt. What happened to taking responibilty for your actions? Or is it always someone elses fault?

should never have gone that far. How bullies can go so far without somebody doing anything...

Don't get me wrong, the biggest majority of my symphaty goes for the kid who was bullied (hence the first phrase of my post), but I just wanted to say that a decision of taking someone else's life shouldn't be made lightly. Being attacked or bullied shouldn't lead to murder. 

But having said that, I somewhat agree with what Seece said. In these extreme cases, i'd rather see this happen than the bullied kid commiting suicide.

Edit - Someone else's son doesn't have the right to harm you or bully you, but don't weigh the two things as if they're the same. Were talking about someone else losing their son or daughter, do you know the pain those parents are going through now? Who has the biggest responsibility in this case?