Example. the man who killed John Lennon is crazy. the one who try to kill Ronald Reagan it is also crazy.
the Son of Sam was also cray?
2006-06-20 11:57:05 · 6 answers · asked by Anonymous in Politics & Government ➔ Law Enforcement & Police
Most of the accused murderers are found guilty and charged, accordingly. Most of the murders that occur in this country are not sensationalized, so maybe you didn't hear about them. Or, the trial.
2006-06-20 12:13:15 · answer #1 · answered by limendoz 5 · 3⤊ 1⤋
American law DOESN'T find most murderers insane. The majority rule is the M'Naughten test, which entitled the defendant to an acquittal only if he did not know his act was wrong or did not understand the nature of his action.
For example, if you are so crazy that you think that when you are shooting someone, you are actually cutting up a carrot, you get off. So you have to be pretty crazy to get off on an insanity plea.
Some of the older convictions were on different tests, but now the majority of jurisdictions follow M'Naughton.
2006-06-20 19:05:41 · answer #2 · answered by JM 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
.An insanity defense in the U.S is hard for a defendant to prove. Yes, the defendant must prove he/she is insane because they are admitting to the crime but asking to escape 25-life, life in prison or execution because they are insane. The burden of proof rests on the defendant to prove he is not guilty by reason of insanity. This burden is normally on the prosecution in a trial because the suspect is presumed innocent until proven guilty. But like the insanity defense is basically ,"I admit to the crime but I should escape criminal penalties because I am insane or was insane at the time of the offense. Depending upon the state there are basically two insanity defenses. The first is called the "irresistible impulse" test.
Basically what the defendant is saying is: "although I know murder is wrong, I was so insane that I could not stop myself. I had an irresistible impulse to kill. The second more difficult defense is the "inability to tell the difference between right and wrong." Basically, what the defense is saying is "Yes he/she committed the murder but his mental state was so diminished that he/she didn't know murder is wrong."
The defendant has to go through several psychiatric exams to prove he is not faking. If found guilty by reason of insanity, the defendant is confined to a mental institution for the criminally insane for many years and can only be release after psychiatrists are convinced he is no longer insane.
2006-06-20 19:51:41 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The American Law doesn't find most murderers crazy, it's the jury. The Attorney's of people Arrested for murder always try to use the Insanity plea to get their client off and to try and keep them from getting the death sentence.
2006-06-21 21:30:21 · answer #4 · answered by yankeechik 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Because no sane individual would commit a murder without some real motive. Or at least we want to believe this.
2006-06-20 19:03:09 · answer #5 · answered by Dan S 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
because they were crazy
2006-06-20 19:01:32 · answer #6 · answered by illinoissux 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋