Criminal law Flashcards
3 types and the defense
Actus Reus
- Voluntary muscular movement - regardless if someone told you to do it
- omission when there is a duty to act
- Defense: no having actus reus is a complete defense = unconsciouness means you are incapable of acting volitionally
cannot be voluntary intoxication
Failure to act; omissions
- generally, no duty to rescue, prevent harm etc.
- Exceptions:
- statutory
- parent-child
- contractual duty
- you voluntarily assume aid to someone
- you create the risk
Momentary Possession
- if a defendant handles an illegal substance for the limited purpose of disposing it, this is not possession
- however, if you wait to long (even a day) it turns into possession
actual possession: physical possession
constructive possession: keys
Willful Blindness
- high degree of suspicion
- deliberately not look
General Intent
- no requirement def intends to accomplish anything in addition to the actus reus
- no particular motive or desire
- description of offense only consists of the description of particular act without reference to intend to do something further = we ask whether the defendant intended to do the proscribed act
Specific intent
- intention to commit something further from and in addition to the actus reus
all property crimes are specific intent
Strict Liability
- no mens rea
- strict liability reserved for public health and safety and impose light punishments
- exception: statutory rape
Transferred intent doctrine
- Liability attributed to D who, intended to kill/injure one person, accidentally kills/injures another person
- intent transfers b/w victim
not between crimes
does not apply with attempt
But4
Causation
- the result would not occur BUT4 defendant’s conduct
But4
Causation
Acceleration theory
multi BUT4 causes
- defendant is a but for cause if he caused victim to die sooner
- even if already gonna die from someone elses’ conduct = both are but4
- A and B kill C = both may be but4 causes of C
- substantial factor test: were each a substantial factor?
Proximate cause
Causation
- Prox cause asks whether it is appropriate to hold the accused responsible
- a direct cause (chain isnt broken) is always a prox cause
Proximate cause
Causation
intervening act: dependant or independant
- independant act: not foreseeable and is remote = breaks chain of causation
- dependant act: foreseeable and thus D is liable
Proximate cause
Causation
Tools
- Contributory negligence: when a defendant is but4 and prox, the fact that the victim was negligent in some way, is not a defense
- free deliberate human decision: an independant cause = D not liable = think about women who froze and did not wake up parents
- If D got intended result, regardless of intervening act (victim’s actions), D is still prox
- Eggshell in a skull = take your victim as you find them = religious person refuses treatment
- 3rd party acts: in response to D’s conduct and not free/deliberate = D still prox
- V acts: D still prox if V brought own death sooner
- Medical care = only if medical care is grossly negligent
- Police pursuit = D liable
- Escape = D is still liable
ITK?
and what to consider
- defendant’s conscious object to kill
- preexisting motive, planning, manner of killing, and deadly weapon rule
- DWR: provides that when a person uses a deadly weapon on a vital pert of a victim’s body, you can infer intent to kill
Defintion
Predmeditation and Deliberation
what do you consider?
- Premed = considered beforehand
- Deliberation = careful thought and weighing of considerations for and against the killing
- Consider: manner of killing, planning, preexisting motive
These can happen quickly–not a matter of time but a matter of reflection.
GBI?
- did not intend to kill but did intend to cause significant harm, with a causal relationship that led to death
- NO CA
- 2nd degree murder
Depraved heart murder
- does not intend to kill or even harm
- elements:
- D engaged in behavior that was extremely dangerous to human life
- D was awatr of the risks of his actions
- D consciously disregarded the risk
- no social justification
2nd degree murder
FM
- FM is a crime that arises when a death occurs during the commission of a felony that is causally related to the felony
- can be unintentional or intentional
- one continous transaction with no place of safety
1st degree or 2nd degree
FM
- 1st degree = if listed in 189, 1st degree
- 2nd degree = unlisted felony IDHL and does not merge
- two ways to see whether IDHL = elements of the crime approach and elements of the case approach
- FM merges when it is assaultive in nature = look at the elements of the felony and find an assaultive aspect
Opponent of the felony
- Agency approach: D will not be liable because they are not an agent to the opponent of the felon
- Proximate approach: felon may be held responsiblle under felonymurder rule for a killing committed by a nonfelon if the felon sets in motion the acts
- Provocative act (CA): Provocative act is an act that goes beyond what is necessary to accomplish underlying felony AND natural and probable consequences are dangerous to human life
defendant can be charged with 1st or 2nd degree via the approaches depending on if crime is in 189
Provocative act elements
- defendant or accomplice
- with conscious disregard for human life
- intentionally commits an act that is likely to cause death
- opponent kills in reasonable response
- D guilty
First degree murder in CA
- willful, deliberate, and premeditated killing
- 1st degree FM
- Torture murder: defendant intended to torture but there was a causal relationship to death
- Lying in wait: conceal presence, substantial period of waiting but no fixed time, surprise attack
- Murder by poison: D deliberately gave V poison with intent to kill/harm
- Explosives or armor penetrating ammunition
2nd degree murder
- intent to kill w/o premeditation and deliberation
- Provocation sufficient to lower first degree to second degree: provocation would not cause an avg person to experience to experience deadly passion
- 2nd degree FM
- Depraved heart murder
voluntary heat of passion
Manslaughter
- intentional or a killing with conscious disregard for life in the heat of passion on adequate provocation
- 3 requirements: adequate provocation, a reasonable person would not have cooled off b/w the provocation and the killing
- D did not cool off during that period
2 approaches
Adequate provocation
CL approach and modern
- Common law pigeonhole approach: mutual combat, violent battery, illegal arrest, catching one’s spouse in the act of adultry, injury to a close family member, and sometimes assault. words never suffice
- Modern approach: case by case approach to evaluate. words alone can be adequate. provocations can be cumulative.
Involuntary manslaughter (unintentional and mens rea is crim negligence)
All types:
- Misdemeanor manslaughter
- Death that occurs in the commission of a lawful act which might produce death, in an unlawful manner
- negligent manslaughter
- unlisted felony and not IDHL
- killing while is unconscious due to voluntary intoxication
criminal negligence: serious departure from reasonable conduct
Assault
- unlawful attempt, coupled with a present ability, to commit a violent injury on the person of another
general intent
attempt to commit battery
Battery
- In CA, any willful and unlawful use of force or violence upon the person of another
- brief touch can be a battery
- victim need not suffer injury
- can hit body, cloths, or item closely associated with the person
- simple battery is a general intent crime
Criminal threats
- Willfully threaten death or GBI w specific intent it be taken as a threat
- victim reasonably feels fear for safety
False imprisonment
- detaining someone without asportation
General intent
Simple kidnapping
- every person by means of force or fear detains someone and does asportation
- substantial asportation, more than trivial movement
- court considers how far the victim was moved and where
consent is a defense
Aggravated kidnapping
- Do not necessarily need asportation
- the essence of agg. kidnapping is the increase in the risk of harm to the victim caused by the forced movement
CL accomplice liability
- principal in 1st degree: person who actually commits the crime
- principal in 2nd degree: person who aided in the presence, actual or constructive
- Accessory before the fact: assissted but was not actually or constructively present at scene of the crime (still has intent/knowledge)
- Accessory after the fact: did not plan or perpetrate the crime but helped hide or avoid arrest/prosecution
everyone gets accomplice liability except after the fact = obstruction of justice
CA terms of accomplice liability
and accomplice liability
- perpetrator = 1st, 2nd, accessory before the fact
- accessory = accessory after the fact in CL
- actus reus of harboring
- knowledge mens rea
- mens rea of avoid arrest/conviction
accomplice liability
knowledge requirement mens rea
- knowledge that the principal committed a felony
- in determining whether aider has knowledge =
- possible presence at crime
- other means of knowledge
- his companionship and relationship with principal before and after the offense
elements of accomplice liability
- perpertrator’s actus reus
- Aider’s actus reus
- Aider’s knowledge mens rea
- Aider’s criminal intent mens rea
parent can be liable for the abuse of their child from accomplice liability = people v. rolon
you can be an accomplice to helping commit suicide
conviction cannot be based on the uncorroborated testimoney of an accomplice