Criminal Justice Assignment

1) Joshua has repeatedly teased and harassed Colin at their high school. On one occasion, Joshua and some other people abducted Colin and tied him to the flag post, partially nude, for everyone to see. Colin wanted to get even, so he decided to scare Joshua. One morning before school, Colin drove his car at a high speed directly at Joshua intending to stop just before hitting him. Colin couldn't stop in time, however, and Joshua was killed instantly.

A.) Could Colin be charged with murder, voluntary manslaughter, or involuntary manslaughter? Why?

B.) Suppose that this occurred in a state where Colin is still considered a minor, but can be transferred to adult court if the offense is serious enough to warrant it. Is Colin's age a mitigating offense, or should he be treated as an adult?

C.) Could the length of time between the ongoing provocation and Joshua's killing be a factor in this? Why or why not?

2) An officer responds to a 911 dispatcher's call that a man has been bludgeoned to death with a shovel. When the officer arrives on the scene, the officer finds a woman on the ground, holding her husband's lifeless body in her arms 100 yards from their home. After speaking to a neighbor who witnessed the events leading up to the man's death, the officer learns that the couple had been married three years, and almost from the beginning, they had a very tumultuous relationship. the police had been called to the house twice before, both times for domestic disturbances. On this particular day, the couple had fought for approximately an hour-both screaming at the top of their lungs. The man apparently chased his wife out of their home and down the street. He then turned around and began walking home, as though nothing had happened. The wife picked up a shovel lying on another neighbor's front law, charged at her husband from behind, and hit him over the head. He immediately dropped to he ground, and although his wife tried to resuscitate him he had obviously died the moment he was hit with the shovel.

A.) At the wife's trial, could the battered woman syndrome be successfully used as a defense? Why or why not?

B.) Based on what you have read in this and the previous chapter, could another defense be used successfully?

3) You are investigating a fire at a hardware store that has been in your community for nearly 40 years. It is located in a neighborhood that, because of a growing industrial presence, receives little business. When you arrive at the scene, you see in front of the building the owner, his wife, some neighbors, and a small group. Among those in the group is a young man who is talking excitedly about the fire and is apparently oblivious to the owner's obvious grief.

A.) Who do you question first, and whom do you question afterward? Why?

B.) Who appears to be a suspect? Why?

C.) What else can you do to investigate this fire properly?