Lets say a person is on trial for murder. That person claims that it was an accident and there is no motive. If you were on the jury how would you want that person to be charged?
Yes I know you always need more details, go with this and let your mind ponder the circumstances.
2006-11-09 06:15:31 · 11 answers · asked by Anonymous in Politics & Government ➔ Law & Ethics
Intent is what is all about.
If it was an accident then the person should be free
or if his life was threaten and he was defending himself he should be free
However if his intent was to commit violence and murder than he should be put to death
2006-11-09 06:30:45 · answer #1 · answered by mmmkay_us 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I believe it is called manslaughter. As for the sentence, It depends. Back in the day when there was still alot of sweat shops in The states, one clothes workplace caught on fire which quickly spread, due to the immense amount of flammable clothe. Because the workers were so cramped and the emergency exit was blocked, many workers were burned and crushed to death. The owners of the shop got off lightly and only got a month (about) in jail. And soon enough they were back running sweat shops with out going through proper safety regulations. I think the punishment should have been harsher and they should have been banned from running sweat shops. NOw if the murder(more correctly, manslaughter) was something like a construction worker dropped some bricks on someones head and killed them or someone ran someone else over and they died (on accident of course) I think they should be put in jail for about a year at most (depends on how much of the accident was their fault) and made to do community service. If they ran someone over they should have their liscence severally restricted, ect.
2006-11-09 07:22:28 · answer #2 · answered by terra_chan 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
If I knew for certain that the murder was an accident, I'd probably want to focus on punishments that would emphasize and teach the seriousness of what they had done (in addition to any amount of time they might spend in prison). In my opinion, that person would be able to pay (in part) their debt to the victim's family and they would have the chance to see the consequences of their actions.
--If it was the result of drunk driving, their vehicles should be sold to pay for funeral costs (and other bills from the victim's family) and their liscense should be voided for at least 5 years. (In which case, they would have to carpool or take a bus to work. This would be to try and keep others safe from deadly accidents). The killer should also pay money each month to help support that family - it'd be a form of child support (that's if they killed the breadwinner). In addition to that, I think the killer ought to provide community service by working with people who had lost their loved ones to wreckless driving. Hopefully, the person who caused the crash would learn that driving drunk is a serious crime.
--If the murder was a result of a gun accidently going off, I'd probably order that they lose their gun liscense (and be unable to renew for at least 5 years). Then I would also order that all of their guns be sold to help pay for the funeral of the victim. In addition to that, a monthly payment would go to the victim's family (if the victim was the breadwinner). I would require at least 3 years of community service. And I'd require that they attend a class on gun safety at least once a year for 5 years. ---
Of course, these kind of punishments might not be possible (depending on the laws). *sigh*
EDIT: Oops, I might have misunderstood the question. I think (in that case) that they should be found guilty of manslaughter, NOT 1st or 2nd degree murder.
2006-11-09 06:55:40 · answer #3 · answered by ☼Grace☼ 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
If the prosecution thinks it was an accident, they will usually charge the defendant with Involuntary Manslaughter.
2006-11-09 06:19:10 · answer #4 · answered by Crusader1189 5 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Manslaughter
2006-11-09 06:17:21 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
Manslaughter or Negligent Homicide depending on circumstances and assuming no INTENT to murder.
2006-11-09 06:19:31 · answer #6 · answered by dapixelator 6 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Well bottem line he still did kill someone, which last I checked is illegal, accidental or not. He still needs to be held accountable for his possible neglagence in this "accidental" killing. Maybe just a lowered sentence, but let the punishment fit the crime. I surely wouldn't condemn him to death or give him a life sentence.
2006-11-09 06:19:18 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Involuntary manslaughter.
2006-11-09 06:23:24 · answer #8 · answered by kat 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Involuntary manslaughter depending on what type of accident. Hope this helps. :)
2006-11-09 06:24:11 · answer #9 · answered by Annieo 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
A murder can't be an accident, it has to be pre meditated and deliberate.
2006-11-09 06:18:08 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋