Dave Rogers
Bandaged ice that stampedes inexpensively through
That's a relief. The precedent a Not Guilty verdict would have set is terrifying.
Dave
Dave
Look again at my post which you quoted. That neighbor is a he, not a she.
Probably, but maybe not the best choice in a dark room where you can't see the subject's hands. And witnesses dispute that she ever said that. And if he was wearing earbuds he would only have seen a silhouette barging into his house without hearing anything.
Sentence Predictions?
15 years, give or take 5 years is mine.
That's a relief. The precedent a Not Guilty verdict would have set is terrifying.
Dave
Hands could possibly be seen if Jean was in silhouette, which is what she claimed.Probably, but maybe not the best choice in a dark room where you can't see the subject's hands. And witnesses dispute that she ever said that.
Given how quickly the jury came back with a verdict they must have been solidly convinced about guilt. Would hazard a guess that that would mean a sentence on the harsher side of things.
Maybe next time you should read what is posted. I wrote "he" four times and then right away you say "she".I apologize, but next time maybe use a name in a court case with multiple testifying witnesses. Thanks.
Quicker verdict than I would have predicted.
My thought as well.
It wasn't even close.
Sentence Predictions?
15 years, give or take 5 years is mine.
MSNBC reports "Amber" guilty of murder.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-new...trial-fatal-shooting-neighbor-botham-n1060506
Question: Max is life. Is there a mandatory minimum?
Hands could possibly be seen if Jean was in silhouette, which is what she claimed.
I'm unaware of witnesses who testified that she didn't say those words.
https://ktla.com/2019/09/27/ex-dall...-leading-up-to-fatal-shooting-of-unarmed-man/Hermus noted that witnesses who were across the hall during the episode testified that they didn’t hear her demand that Jean show his hands.
Given how quickly the jury came back with a verdict they must have been solidly convinced about guilt. Would hazard a guess that that would mean a sentence on the harsher side of things.
For me, it came down to a fairly binary question of due process:
If she reasonably believed she was at/in her own apartment (regardless of the provenance of this belief - fatigue, distraction, etc.), then murder could not possibly follow from that belief. That verdict would need some other modifying circumstance, like stopping to identify Jean, and then making an informed decision to shoot him anyway. But stopping to identify an intruder is not required, for defense of one's own home. And since in law the reasonable belief trumps the actual fact, a determination of mistake of fact by the jury must necessarily rule out a verdict of murder.
On the other hand, if it can be established that her belief that she was at/in her own apartment was not reasonable, then a murder verdict becomes pretty much the only option.
Based on the evidence and the arguments at trial, it seemed to me that the legitimacy of her belief was upheld, and a murder verdict should probably be off the table, as a basic matter of rule of law.
So I'm curious if the jury rejected the legitimacy of her belief, or if they accepted the mistake of fact at face value, but decided to call it murder anyway in a form of jury nullification.
And I'm pondering how I'd feel about this outcome, if it turns out that the jury did opt for "nullification" in this case.
For me, it came down to a fairly binary question of due process:
If she reasonably believed she was at/in her own apartment (regardless of the provenance of this belief - fatigue, distraction, etc.), then murder could not possibly follow from that belief. That verdict would need some other modifying circumstance, like stopping to identify Jean, and then making an informed decision to shoot him anyway. But stopping to identify an intruder is not required, for defense of one's own home. And since in law the reasonable belief trumps the actual fact, a determination of mistake of fact by the jury must necessarily rule out a verdict of murder.
On the other hand, if it can be established that her belief that she was at/in her own apartment was not reasonable, then a murder verdict becomes pretty much the only option.
Based on the evidence and the arguments at trial, it seemed to me that the legitimacy of her belief was upheld, and a murder verdict should probably be off the table, as a basic matter of rule of law.
So I'm curious if the jury rejected the legitimacy of her belief, or if they accepted the mistake of fact at face value, but decided to call it murder anyway in a form of jury nullification.
And I'm pondering how I'd feel about this outcome, if it turns out that the jury did opt for "nullification" in this case.