It's hilarious that the only defense if this is "their actions are legal" and somehow stretching that to "their actions are fair" as if "legal=fair".
Felony murder does not need intent to kill for most penal codes. In TX - "a person commits murder if he "commits or attempts to commit a felony [in this case, carjacking with a weapon], other than manslaughter, and in the course of and in furtherance of the commission or attempt, or in immediate flight from the commission or attempt, he commits or attempts to commit an act clearly dangerous to human life that causes the death of an individual [hitting the gas and swerving towards a barricade with the man hanging on the side of the car]"
Dude, the literal dividing line in the independent axis line is "median white houshold" and "median black houshold". That is the literal criteria that results in the dependent variable where there is a 1000% difference. And if you want nuance I can start with the major culprit for this gap: homeownership rate differences shaped by redlining practices during the suburban housing boom and white flight right after ww2
Yes, that would be reckless indifference to human life in the act of committing a felony. Not a lawyer, but I guess different states judge this in different ways? Also, "clearly dangerous to human life" presupposes that the criminal has the knowledge/experience to determine that. In this case, we're talking about two minors. So what might be "clearly dangerous to life" to an adult may not have been for them. As far as media reporting, it's best to report the indisputable facts of the case and leave the courts to decide what if this is murder. Do you disagree with that?
Also I don't know the last "carjacking attempt gone wrong and led to homicide" incident made national news because the perps were white. Can anyone think of an instance?
I don't disagree with that. But I have a hard time believing CNN did not try to soften the landing with their choice of language, especially with their history in spinning things one way or another. CNN is not the paragon of objectivity, but then again, who is these days?
OK. I don't have a high opinion of CNN's journalistic standards either, honestly. Would the story have been reported differently if these were two white kids? Maybe. Who really knows. Taken in isolation, their reporting on this particular issue seems fine to me.
I'm happy to see concern for the death of an Asian immigrant but not seeing the controversy here. The suspects are arrested and charged and this doesn't appear to be a bias crime. I haven't seen the arresting officer making excuses such as these two girls "had a really bad day."
CNN has become a cesspool of sensationalist journalism. They are always about a narrative and National inquirerer style headlines. Everything on their site is an opinion these days.
Yes this is absolutely true but also this is indicitive of all cable news outlets with a 24/7 news business model.
It's been awhile since I prosecuted a felony murder in Texas, but I think you're reading something into the statute that isn't there - namely, the words "that the defendant knows to be" before "clearly dangerous". An objective standard of clearly dangerous doesn't require looking from the defendant's perspective. I believe the mens rea in the statute goes to the intent to commit the act, not the knowledge of the dangerousness of the act. A jury could decide if the act itself was objectively, clearly dangerous. To answer your question, felony murder statutes obviously differ state to state, sometimes radically so.
Interesting. In my mind, I distinguish "murder" from "manslaughter" according to the state of mind of the person who committed the crime, but apparently that's not how the law makes the distinction.
Maybe? I really do not know. They were trying to steal the car, they were not trying to kill the owner but he died when they hit the pole after he did not let go. They are very young, so they may not be charged with Felony Murder.... hard to tell. I see both sides of it, they didn't intent to kill him ....... but he also died as they attempted to get away. I am in a haze, I haven't been watching the news for nearly two weeks..... but I can see why this would raise someone's eyebrow if they were looking for something to be upset about.
One of the girls from the video even said "I left my phone in the car" while the guys lifeless body is just a few feet away from her...so it's not just the accident but they had a total disregard for human life and I hope they get charged as adults and convicted.
I don't think any human should be charged as adults at 14. The brain is nowhere close to finished development and all we are accomplishing here is a lifetime of tax payer money funding revenge rather than understanding cognative science and brain development.
You're right, that's absolutely how the law makes the distinction. The point of the felony murder statute is that the law penalizes someone who commits a felony (for instance, robbery) and commits dangerous acts in doing so - the intent to commit the felony substitutes for the intent to kill. The law treats those who are committing felonies differently than those who are not committing felonies, when they result in someone's death. The state of mind here is important, it's just a different mental state required. If someone robs a bank, points a loaded gun at the teller, and then the gun goes off inadvertently, they are fully liable for murder.
This is really reaching. Was the car involved in a accident or not? Nowhere in that twee are they saying the death was accidental, man you all are really reaching these days, anything to keep that outrage train going to get them clicks. So this is what the Federalist has become?
Forget race, when was the last time an incident like this made news? I think the video makes this click bait. White or black, this makes headlines. It would be the white supremacist kids are running wild or the urban youth are running wild. These headlines bring in money.
I saw the story on CNN.com a couple of days ago. There's a GoFundMe page set up for the family, and the link to it is included in the story below, for anyone who wishes to contribute. The story wasn't "hidden." I have no idea how it was covered on their "cable channel," since I don't watch it very often, unless there's a big story going on. The insurrection at the Capitol was one, obviously. Their website is one of several I scan for news, which is where I saw this. We pay for the digital New York Times, an excellent source, and I regularly delve deep into BBC.com, which has terrific coverage of far more than the news, with in depth articles about a host of subjects. Their culture section is outstanding. Highly recommended. Teen girls charged with murder, carjacking of Uber Eats driver in Washington, DC By Jay Croft, CNN Updated 2:05 PM ET, Sat March 27, 2021 Spoiler The scene of the accident that killed Mohammad Anwar after police said he was carjacked. (CNN)Two teenage girls have been charged in the carjacking death of an Uber Eats driver this week in Washington, DC, police say. Mohammad Anwar, 66, of Springfield, Virginia, was killed Tuesday afternoon near Nationals Park, the Metropolitan Police Department said in a statement. Anwar was working as an Uber Eats driver, says a GoFundMe page set up by his family. "We are devastated by this tragic news and our hearts go out to Mohammad's family during this difficult time," an Uber spokesperson said, according to affiliate WTOP. "We're grateful the suspects have been arrested and thank the Metropolitan Police Department for their diligence with this investigation." The girls, 13 and 15, assaulted Anwar with a Taser while carjacking him, which led to an accident in which he was fatally injured, police said. The girls were charged with felony murder and armed carjacking, police said. The younger girl is from the southeast section of DC, the older from Fort Washington, Maryland, police said. Anwar immigrated from Pakistan in 2014, his family said on the GoFundMe page. He "was a beloved husband, father, grandfather, uncle, and friend who always provided a smile when you needed one. He leaves behind a family, near and far, who cherish, love, and miss him dearly," the family said. https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/27/us/washington-dc-uber-eats-carjacking-homicide/index.html
