Should children as young as 12 be tried as adults?

An 11 year old boy shoots his father and his father’s pregnant fiance, execution style, with a shotgun. Now 12, the boy is being tried as an adult. This story has generated a huge debate locally. Is 12 too young to really understand the weight of his actions and to potentially spend the rest of his life in prison, or were his crimes adult enough in nature that he should face the consequences like an adult? What do you think?

details on the story can be found here
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1262271/US-boy-Jordan-Brown-tried-adult-killing-fathers-pregnant-fiance.html