Law & American Society

1. Law & American Society Crimes Against the Person

2. Question of the Day “Crime and the fear of crime have permeated the fabric of American life.” – Warren E. Burger Do you think this is true? Why or why not?

3. Crimes Against the Person • Crimes against the person include homicide, assault, battery, and rape. • All of these are serious crimes, and a defendant found guilty of any one of them could receive a harsh sentence. Various levels of these crime have been defined by law in order to protect the defendant from overly harsh penalties.

4. Homicide • Homicide is the killing of one human being by another • Homicides are either criminal or noncriminal • Criminal homicide is committed with intent, or a plan. It is also considered criminal homicide if a person’s reckless actions, without regard for human life , result in the killing of another person. • Noncriminal homicide can be classified as either “excusable” or “justifiable” and is not subject to criminal charges

5. Criminal Homicide • Murder, the most serious form of criminal homicide , is killing that is done with malice. • Malice means having the intent to kill or seriously harm another person or acting in an extremely reckless manner that shows a lack of regard for human life.

6. Criminal Homicide • First Degree Murder- • Felony Murder- • Second Degree Murder- • Voluntary Manslaughter- • Involuntary Manslaughter- • Negligent Homicide-

7. Noncriminal Homicide • Noncriminal homicide is killing that is justifiable or excusable and for which the killer is deemed faultless. • Wartime? • Executioner? • Police Officer?

8. True or False The present Homicide rate is at its highest level in society.

10. True or False More women are victims of homicide than men.

12. True or False Most homicides are committed by people who know their victims

14. True or False The reason for most homicides is not known.

16. True or False Handguns are the number one cause of homicides in the nation.

18. True or False The number one age group of victims of homicide are those aged 18-24.

20. Suicide • Suicide is the deliberate taking of one’s own life. • Suicide is one of the leading causes of death among teenagers • National Crisis Hotline

21. Assault & Battery • Assault is any attempt or threat to carry out a physical attack upon another person • Battery is any unlawful physical contact inflicted by one person upon another person without consent • The only requirement is the person must have intended to do bodily harm

22. Assault & Battery • Stalking occurs when a person repeatedly follows or harasses another person , and make threats, causing the victim to fear death or bodily injury • Sexual Assault is a specific kind of assault that can include rape or attempted rape. Sexual assault includes a wide range of victimizations from verbal threats of a sexual nature to unwanted sexual contact between the victim and the offender

23. Rape • Rape is sexual intercourse without consent • Statutory Rape is intercourse between an adult and a minor

24. Crimes Against the Person • Crimes against the person includes: • Homicide • Assault • Battery • Rape

25. Criminal Homicide • Murder, the most serious form of criminal homicide, is killing that is done with malice. • Malice means having the intent to kill or seriously harm another person in an extremely reckless manner which shows a lack of regard for human life.

26. First–degree murder is killing that is premeditated, deliberate and done with malice. • Felony murder is any killing that takes place during the commission of certain felonies, such as arson, rape, robbery, or burglary. • Second-degree murder is killing that is done with malice, but without premeditation or deliberation. The intent to kill did not exist until the moment of the murder

27. Voluntary manslaughter is killing that otherwise would be murder, but that occurs after the victim has done something to the killer that would cause a reasonable person to lose self-control or act rashly. • Involuntary manslaughter is a killing in which there is no intent at all. • Negligent homicide means causing death the through criminal negligence. Negligence is the failure to exercise a reasonable or ordinary amount of care in a situation, thereby causing harm to someone

28. Homicide Cases • Read each of the following situations carefully. For each one, determine who can be charged with homicide and the degree of homicide which they should be charged.

29. Walt decides to shoot Yolanda, whom he blames for all his troubles. As he is driving to her home to carry out the murder, he accidentally hits a jogger who darted out from behind a tree. Stopping immediately, Walt rushes to help the jogger, who is already dead. Assume that Walt, was driving at a safe speed and that the collision was unavoidable

30. Belva is cheated when she buys a car from fast Eddie’s Car Mart. She attempts to return the car, but Eddie just laughs and tells her to go away. Every time Belva has to make a repair on the car, she gets angry. Finally, she decides to wreck Eddie’s car to get even with him. Following him home from work one evening, Belva tries to ram his car, hoping to bend the axle frame. Instead of bending the frame, the collision smashes Eddie’s gas tank, causes an explosion and kills him.

31. Alison and Brad decide to rob a bank. Brad drives the getaway car. Alison goes into the bank and pulls out her gun, announcing, “This is a stickup, Don’t Move!” The bank guard, Gordon, shoots at Alison but misses, killing Dawn, a customer.

32. Richard Lapointe Case Pictures Homicide

33. Question of the Day • Take 5-7 minutes to read the article. • Write a TWO paragraph reflection in your journal. • 1st Paragraph – What is your reaction to this case. (5-7 sentences) • 2nd Paragraph – If you were on the jury, how would you rule? Why? (5-7 sentences)

34. Richard Lapointe

35. The victim: Bernice Martin

36. The Mayfair Gardens elderly housing complex, where Bernice Martin lived, as seen from North Main Street, Manchester

37. Lapointe Home, 75 Union Street, Manchester

38. Lapointe Interrogation Office; Manchester Police Station

39. Bernice Martin’s fire-damaged apartment as photographed by police.

40. The Lithuanian Hall on Golway Street, Manchester

41. Police Station Display; posted in the Manchester police station on July 4, 1989 for the interrogation of Richard Lapointe.

42. One of two photos of displays that were posted in the Manchester police station on July 4, 1989 for the interrogation of Richard Lapointe.

44. Richard Lapointe being taken out of the front door of the Hartford Superior Court. Photo was taken on September 6, 1992, right after Richard had been sentenced to "life plus 60 years

45. Law & American Society Crimes Against the Person

46. Suicide • Suicide is the deliberate taking of one’s own life. • In Connecticut, assisted suicide is a crime. • In Connecticut, attempted suicide is not a crime

49. Assault and Battery • Assault is any attempt or threat to carry out a physical attack upon another person • Battery is any unlawful physical contact inflicted by one person upon another person without consent. • **Actual injury is not necessary**

50. Not much difference today between assault and battery • Some states add “aggravated” to their charges when harm is inflicted • Stalking occurs when a person repeatedly follows or harasses another person and makes threats, causing the victim to fear death or bodily injury • Sexual Assault is a specific kind of assault that can include rape or attempted rape