Criminal Law Flashcards
**felony murder crimes (ie most common felonies)
BARRK (Burglary, Arson, Rape, Robbery, and Kidnapping)
‘dangerous felonies’ = felony-murder
**which are the specific intent crimes?
FIAT (car, intent to drive)
First-degree murder
Inchoate crimes (conspiracy, attempt, solicitation)
Assault w/ attempt to commit battery
Theft offenses (larceny, embezzlement, forgery, burglary, robbery)
MPC: statute with “purposely”
Defenses available only for specific-intent crimes
voluntary intoxication, unreasonable mistake of fact
**Malice crimes
malice = reckless disregard (tossing dud fireworks into grill, even if u didnt intend them to catch house on fire)
arson, murder
MAlice
I AM certain
arson, murder
Common Law
specific intent (FIAT), general intent (just intent to do an act), or strict liability?
“with intent to…” =
“knowingly or recklessly” =
no Mens Rea language =
“with intent to…” = specific intent crime
“knowingly or recklessly” = general intent crime
no Mens Rea language = strict liability
MPC hierarchy of mental states
Party of Korean
1) Purpose—highest level of culpability (specific intent)
2) Knowledge
3) Recklessness
4) Negligence—lowest level of culpability
inchoate crimes
inChoATe crimes
CATS = conspiracy, attempt, solicitation
MPC conspiracy differences
MPC requires overt act, but needs only 1 person to agree (helps law enforcement go undercover)
robbery = __ + __
larceny + assault (IF - force/intimidation when taking it from the person/presence)
Rob = LA
for felony-murder, the robbery/etc. [can / cannot] have only been attempted
can
battery [does / does not] merger into robbery
does
does common law require burning of the dwelling?
yes
Common-law burglary
the breaking and entering of the dwelling of another in the nighttime with the specific intent to commit a felony
**attorney gained possession of the necklace through fraud [lied to client that atty was required to hold it] with the intent to sell it. which crime was committed?
larceny by trick: through fraud, obtains possession but NOT title. so if you gain possession AND title, then it’s NOT larceny by trick
**false pretenses requires obtaining __ of the property by fraud
title (“it’s literally yours now”)
A defendant who fails to commit the underlying felony [can / cannot] be guilty of burglary + attempt to commit the underlying felon
can :O
burglary = breaking/entering at night w/ intent to commit felony (eg larceny)
but attempted larceny (attempt = substantial step) + burglary (merely the INTENT to commit the larceny once you enter, not necessarily a substantial step) is okay
factual impossibility [is / is not] a defense to the crime of attempt
is not
A mistake of fact [is / is not] a defense to a specific-intent crime, even if the mistake is unreasonable, because it negates the element of mens rea
is. “I legit thought it was a safe plant, NOT ricin - so I did NOT intend to kill my parents even though I did - so can’t be guilty of first-degree murder”
voluntary manslaughter
V(ictoria) = heat of passion + MA (malice aforethought)
involuntary manslaughter
IN -> NEG
not intentional but criminal NEGLIGENCE - unintentional homicide committed with criminal negligence or during an unlawful act (eg assault)
(grossly negligent action that puts another person at a significant risk of serious bodily injury or death)
assisted suicide
the dead person committed the act itself
does common law murder include reckless disregard for human life?
yes, that’s malice, depraved heart
common law murder = unlawful killing + malice aforethought. “Malice aforethought” includes reckless indifference to an unjustifiably high risk to human life.
conspiracy
AI (artificial intelligence conspiracies)
agreement + specific intent to commit target offense
solicitation
reach out + command/encourage
is swatting your kid in the butt at the store considered battery?
no. the use of reasonable force in the exercise of parental authority (i.e., discipline) by a parent or by a person in charge of a child is justified if exercised for the benefit of the minor child (e.g., to improve their behavior) (whether there’s a mark is irrelevant)
does exerting dominion over GF’s watch and carrying it away, even a few steps inside bedroom, count as larceny if you intend to permanently take it (but ultimately returned it in morning?)
yes, even a few steps after exercising control meets the “taking and carrying away “ requirement
assault WITHOUT an attempt to commit battery [does / does not] require specific intent
does not; with this assault, you only wanna cause apprehension, general intent
At common law, can a conspirator be convicted of conspiracy if all other conspirators are acquitted at the same trial?
no, because there must be more than one conspirator to have a conspiracy in common law
“Pinkerton Rule”
PR - disaster - things go wrong
says that every co-conspirator is guilty of any foreseeable substantive offense committed in furtherance of the conspiracy, regardless of actual knowledge of its commission.
a prosecution need only prove the ___ of a conspiracy when the other conspirators are never tried or apprehended
existence
does solicitation merge with the other crime?
yes, so it’s not a separate conviction (unlike conspiracy)
is gardener guilty of larceny if he intended to steal plants and did take the plants, even though they were (unknowingly) free?
yes, because he took and carried away the property of the garden center with the INTENT to steal
if a man fraudulently tells a woman that she’d get cured of disease if she had sex with him, and she consents, is that rape?
no because fraud is okay to get consent
larceny - when does the intent to permanently deprive have to exist?
at the time of the taking; can’t first develop it later
burglary = dwelling or commercial too?
common law = dwelling (home) only
modern = commercial too
can you use deadly force in response to rape attempt?
yes
Deadly force may be justified in self-defense only when it is reasonably necessary to prevent death or serious injury, or to prevent the commission of a serious felony involving a risk to human life.
Under the majority view, is retreat required even when deadly force is used in self-defense?
no
enraged man hits neighbor on head with hammer after neighbor broke his TV. could this be murder?
could be. At common law, a defendant could be convicted of murder not only for an intentional killing, but also for causing another’s death by actions intended to cause serious bodily injury short of death.
under the agency theory of felony murder, is a felon liable for the death of a bystander caused by a police officer?
no, because the officer is not the felon’s agent.
under the majority approach to accomplice liability, can an accomplice may be convicted of a crime even if the principal is not tried, is not convicted, has been given immunity from prosecution, or is acquitted?
yes - modern: you’re fucked; old: if principal isn’t guilty, you can’t be either
attempt = __ + ___
attempt = intent + substantial step
Under the conspiracy majority rule, is withdrawal possible b/t the agreement date and the overt act (eg buying a gun, or lying in wait)?
yes
At common law, could a person who sets fire to his own residence be guilty of arson?
no
Can a person use deadly force to prevent or terminate forcible entry into a dwelling if the occupant reasonably believes that the intruder intends to commit a felony inside?
yes :O