Consequences of Felonies and Imposible Crime

Question 1

What is the rule on liability for those who have committed a felony?

Answer 1

That person is liable for natural (ordinary course of things) and logical (reasonable connection) consequences of his criminal act

Question 2

What is Proximate Cause?

Answer 2

“The cause, which in its natural and continuous sequence, unbroken by any efficient intervening cause, produces the injury and without which the result would not occurred”

Question 3

When is something not the proximate cause of the effect?

Answer 3

1. There is an active force that intervened between the felony committed and the death of the victim,
2. The resulting injury or damage is the intentional act of the victim.

Question 4

An accused committed reckless imprudence, and due to this, two people died. Can he be prosecuted for reckless imprudence resulting to double homicide? May reckless imprudence result into a complex crime?

Answer 4

YES, because reckless imprudence is a felony under Art. 3 and Art. 48 talks about felonies as component crimes.

Question 5

What is an Impossible Crime?

Answer 5

1. The offender performed an act which would be an offense against persons or property
2. He performed the act with criminal intent 3. Accomplishment of the act is inherently impossible or the means employed were inadequate or ineffectual

Question 6

Factual or physical impossibility

Answer 6

There is intent and performance but no accomplishment due to extraneous circumstances that makes accomplishment impossible. EX fired guns into empty bedroom, because the intended victim was out of town

Question 7

Legal impossibility

Answer 7

There is intent and performance of a crime, but the consequence could not result into a crime. Ex. Stole a watch that turned out to be his.

Question 8

Is an impossible crime a crime?

Answer 8

No. But it is still punished because the law intends to punish criminal inclinations/tendencies.