Read each of the following accounts carefully. For each one, determine who can be charged with the crime of homicide and the degree of homicide for which he or she should be charged. Give reasons for your answers.
Read each of the following accounts carefully. For each one, determine who can be charged with the crime of homicide and the degree of homicide for which he or she should be charged. Give reasons for your answers.
a. Walt decides to shoot his ex-girlfriend Yolanda, whom he blames for all his troubles. As he is driving to her home to carry out the murder, he accidentally hits a jogger who darted out into the road from behind a tree. Stopping immediately, Walt rushes to help the jogger, who is already dead. Assume that Walt was driving at a safe speed and that the collision with the jogger was unavoidable.
b. Belva is cheated when she buys a car from Fast Eddie’s Car Mart. She attempts to return the car, but Eddie just laughs and tells her to go away. Every time Belva has to make a repair on the car, she gets angry. Finally, she decides to wreck Eddie’s car to get even with him. Following him home from work one evening, Belva tries to ram his car, hoping to bend the axle or frame. Instead of bending the frame, the collision smashes Eddie’s gas tank, causes an explosion, and kills him.
c. Alison and Brad need money to pay their bills and decide to rob a bank. Brad drives the getaway car. Alison goes into the bank and pulls out her gun, announcing, “This is a stickup. Don’t move!” The bank guard, Gordon, shoots at Alison but misses, killing Dawn, a bank customer.