CrimLaw

Last Week's Death Cases:

(1) Muhammad moves for dismissal based upon the fact that law enforcement appears to have leaked information to reporters writing a book - or removal of the possible death penalty - or exclusion of any evidence in the book - or. . .

(2) The federal supreme court will decide whether the fact that a jury received wrong instructions is enough to require a new trial in a case where the government is trying to kill the Defendant. The closure argument disturbs me in death penalty cases; every time I hear it it sounds like the prosecutor is saying, "Just let us kill the S.O.B. and it will be the end to all this useless legal wrangling." Of course, the problem in these cases is that, if the Defendant is innocent or the jury would have sentenced him to life, once you kill him there is closure.

(3) The prosecution increased a Defendant's sentence after he tries to commit suicide. What exactly does that accomplish?

(4) Driving a car can lead to homicide charges sometimes because of your own actions and sometimes because of the actions of others.

(5) 15 years later a murder is proven.

(6) A "honor killing" in London. I don't think this jerk will get only 6 months in jail in Britain. Somehow, I doubt the reasoning which allows this kind of garbage will cut it in civilization:

[L]enient sentences deter women from sin. [Greater punishment is] contradictory to . . . tradition and Islamic teachings.

(7) Charging a mother with child abuse because she left her daughter with the boyfriend who killed the girl and the child had been previously injured.

(8) N.C. kills a man.

(9) The defense argues involuntary intoxication. The prosecution says the Defendant ain't intoxicated she's just touched. The judge finds her guilty.

(10) It's hard to defend your client when he's convinced the victims are still alive and visiting him in jail.

(11) The NC Peterson Case: Prosecutors close by saying that only a novelist (such as the defendant) could have put together the story he's trying to sell you. The Defense counters with the top ten reasons not to believe the prosecutor's theory.