• WrenFeathers@lemmy.world
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    18 hours ago

    If he used a car purposefully to kill the CEO, no- he would most certainly NOT be free right now.

    Murder is murder, regardless of the chosen method.

      • WrenFeathers@lemmy.world
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        16 hours ago

        That’s not how vehicular manslaughter trials work. It’s like any other murder prosecution. He’d need to prove it was an accident. And mowing down someone with a car in front of witnesses in broad daylight?

        Yeah…

        Guilty.

        • schnurrito@discuss.tchncs.de
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          9 hours ago

          no he doesn’t need to prove it, in a criminal trial in most countries, the prosecution has the burden of proof; in the US “beyond a reasonable doubt”

          • WrenFeathers@lemmy.world
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            3 hours ago

            According to legal advice:

            To prove a car accident was not intentional in court, you would need to present evidence demonstrating that your actions at the time of the crash were not deliberate, including factors like: witness testimonies, police reports, vehicle damage analysis, your driving record, medical records, and expert testimony to explain the circumstances leading to the accident, highlighting any distractions, mechanical failures, or unexpected road conditions that could have contributed to the crash.

            Either way, he didn’t accidentally shoot an unarmed man in the back… so this entire whatabout is irrelevant.

            • schnurrito@discuss.tchncs.de
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              2 hours ago

              What context was this legal advice given in? This may be advice for a civil lawsuit too?

              In any case it is of course true that it is good to be able to present evidence in one’s favor in criminal court, but that is to establish that there is reasonable doubt, not because the defendant has the burden of proof.

              • WrenFeathers@lemmy.world
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                2 hours ago

                It’s irrelevant. We’re not talking about an accident. We’re talking about an intent to kill. He had a manifesto, there are witnesses… He murdered a man.

                If it were a gun or a car. It’s irrelevant.

                I’m not getting trapped up in semantics.

                • Malfeasant@lemm.ee
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                  26 minutes ago

                  It’s irrelevant. We’re not talking about an accident. We’re talking about an intent to kill.

                  Intent must be proved, and depending on the circumstances, can be hard or easy. Using a gun carries with it an assumption of intent - unless you’re hunting or target shooting, your intent can be assumed to not be good. With a car, there are a lot more things you could reasonably be doing, ill intent can’t be assumed.

                • schnurrito@discuss.tchncs.de
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                  2 hours ago

                  And I wasn’t talking about this or any other specific case, just attempting to make sure that people understood the general legal concepts.

                  • WrenFeathers@lemmy.world
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                    2 hours ago

                    Where there is a victim of vehicular homicide, it wouldn’t be a civil suit. So again, it’s irrelevant.

                    OP compared the CEO’s murder outcome as potentially being different if he purposefully ran him over with a car. This isn’t about civil suits. It’s not about any other suits. It’s about this particular “what if” scenario where a different weapon was used.

                    It’s a bad argument and a was just attempting to illustrate that.

        • DrunkEngineer@lemmy.worldOP
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          15 hours ago

          The max penalty for 2nd degree vehicular manslaughter is only 7 years. In theory he could be prosecuted for 1st degree or even aggravated, but those require DUI or multiple fatalities.

          • WrenFeathers@lemmy.world
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            13 hours ago

            Now look up what the maximum sentence would be for when someone purposefully murders someone with a car. Because Vehicular Homicide in the second degree- is where a death is caused “without an intention to do so” and where there is neither reckless driving, nor a DWI offense.

            You’re manufacturing an argument while leaving out key facts.

            Your boy WANTED the CEO dead. So, don’t use accidental death cases to compare it in bad faith

            Vehicular homicide with intent carries the same penalties as with a gun.

            • DrunkEngineer@lemmy.worldOP
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              4 hours ago

              Nope. In New York, the law for vehicular manslaugher/homicide only applies where DUI is involved. Perhaps you are thinking of regular homicide/manslaughter, but those require proving intent – which as previously stated is hard to do where an automobile is involved.

              • WrenFeathers@lemmy.world
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                3 hours ago

                From a NY attorney’s site:

                A vehicle is considered a “deadly weapon” according to New York law, especially if you use it to intentionally strike a pedestrian. As a result, you might face much more serious charges than assault if you try to hit someone with your car. Theoretically, you could be charged with attempted murder. You might also face charges of assault with a deadly weapon – especially if you strike and injure the intended target.

                So again, if he had used a car, the charges would remain the same. It would be murder.

                Stop moving the goalposts. Cars have nothing to do with this.

                • Malfeasant@lemm.ee
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                  13 minutes ago

                  especially if you use it to intentionally strike a pedestrian

                  There’s that word again… One might think it’s important…