Student "Distraught and Remorseful" Over Police Officer's Death (Ole Miss)
 

News report is at:

http://www.wreg.com/Global/story.asp?S=5578498

A very sad story; I'm sure many of us join the Ole Miss and Oxford community in thinking of the family and friends of the officer.

I was with one of his good friends and pledge brothers over the weekend for a Debutante Ball. What a horrible thing.

What a poorly written article..."I found a witness who saw him..." Is this for real? It sounds like something written by a 12 year old blogger. What a terrible situation for everyone involved. On a legal note, there is absolutely NO WAY a capital murder charge holds up in this, unless there is something we don't know. I'm betting second degree tops.

Well, he was drunk, and from what my friend says he was coked up and on something else.....so I dunno. I think it would be a little extreme to charge him with capital murder. I think spending the rest of your life in jail when you are a 20 year old with a wealthy family and tons of oppurtunities is bad enough.

It'll probably depend on a) what he was on and b) if/when he was aware he was dragging the officer.

TV "news." :rolleyes:

See your above comment on "what a poorly written article." I'm sure there is much we don't know.

What a waste and a horror for everyone concerned.

http://www.olemiss.edu/news/updofficer/index.html

http://www.thedmonline.com/home/

Go the DM Online and read their story today...

:( That is so tragic for this officer's family.

:mad: I hope that this young man gets all the punishment that the law will allow. I am so tired of hearing of families and lives ruined b/c some kid decides to be stupid/selfish. I have no sympathy for this boy.

The fact that his family is wealthy and he had a lot of opportunities is one of the main reason I have NO sympathy for him. NONE. He knew right from wrong.

I hope they throw the book at him--HARD

I hate this kind of *&@#. I feel the kid is more of an idiot for wasting his opportunities, but a poor kid is no less culpable.

Gotta agree with that. This is one of the worst pieces of "journalism" I've even seen.

From the DM Online article.

"Capital murder charges are filed against individuals who kill a police officer knowing that the victim was an officer."

Many states have similar laws.

From the Miss. Code...obviously will have to be (b) or felony murder (c). I imagine they'll offer him something less, still.


(1) The killing of a human being without the authority of law by any means or in any manner shall be murder in the following cases:

(a) When done with deliberate design to effect the death of the person killed, or of any human being;

(b) When done in the commission of an act eminently dangerous to others and evincing a depraved heart, regardless of human life, although without any premeditated design to effect the death of any particular individual;

(c) When done without any design to effect death by any person engaged in the commission of any felony other than rape, kidnapping, burglary, arson, robbery, sexual battery, unnatural intercourse with any child under the age of twelve (12), or nonconsensual unnatural intercourse with mankind, or felonious abuse and/or battery of a child in violation of subsection (2) of Section 97-5-39, or in any attempt to commit such felonies;

As a side note.....Ole Miss cancelled all of their parties, band parties, halloween parties, etc. for this weekend against Auburn.

Absolutely should have done this for sure.

In Mississippi, "capitol murder" appears to be defined as murder punishable by death or life imprisonment.

Mississippi statues appear to provide that "Murder which is perpetrated by killing a peace officer or fireman while such officer or fireman is acting in his official capacity or by reason of an act performed in his official capacity, and with knowledge that the victim was a peace officer or fireman," is to be charged as capitol murder.

The statute shinerbock was quoting is the statute describing what the jury will have to find in order to sentence someone convicted of capitol murder to death rather than to life imprisonment.