Island Beretta
August 9, 2003, 02:12 PM
The following is an article from a local paper (edited), analyse and tell me what you think:
<start of story>
'Businessman gets life for murder of student'
A businessman who shot a 17-yrs. old student at least 6 times was yesterday sentenced to life imprisonment with a recommendation that he should serve 20 years before he could become eligible for parole.
" I don't know why you did such an act' commented the judge in passing sentence. The judge said she considered the matter carefully but she had to weigh the scale between the accused and the society at large. She said she also had to take into consideration the manner in which the student died.
Testimony heard in the trial stated that the businessman shot the student in the scrotum and when he fell on his face, continued shooting him in the back. The body had 2 gunshot wounds to the front and eleven shots to the back. The student's brother testified that his brother had gone to the back of a building to urinate.
The businessman in his defence, said he was urinating near a sports bar when he heard a voice say: 'Don't move'. He pulled his licensed firearm and fired.
<end of story>
The area where the shooting occurred is frequented at nights by junkies, prostitutes and petty robbers. It is not violent but there is certainly a high probability for that to happen. I would not be on 'high' alert if I was there, nevertheless if a voice said 'don't move' then it would be condition red/black immediately.
Due to the shots to the back of the student and the number of shots the prosecution portrayed the man as reckless (hence overall a danger to society) and a cold-blooded killer.
IMHO, I think a firearms expert should have been called by the defence to the trial to educate the jury to the body's reaction to such a perceived threat. The businessman comments to the police at the scene may also have prejudiced his case. The 'eleven shots to the back whilst on the ground, face down' was the case buster, however it is not unusual for someone to empty a gun (15 shots) and still continue to press even after slide lock has occured due to fright,panic, loss of auditory and tactile perception etc. etc. To the businessman the 11 shots may have seemed like 1.
Are we glad such a person is off the streets, I am not quite sure as I think he made tactical blunders and really self-defence and not murder was the intention.
<start of story>
'Businessman gets life for murder of student'
A businessman who shot a 17-yrs. old student at least 6 times was yesterday sentenced to life imprisonment with a recommendation that he should serve 20 years before he could become eligible for parole.
" I don't know why you did such an act' commented the judge in passing sentence. The judge said she considered the matter carefully but she had to weigh the scale between the accused and the society at large. She said she also had to take into consideration the manner in which the student died.
Testimony heard in the trial stated that the businessman shot the student in the scrotum and when he fell on his face, continued shooting him in the back. The body had 2 gunshot wounds to the front and eleven shots to the back. The student's brother testified that his brother had gone to the back of a building to urinate.
The businessman in his defence, said he was urinating near a sports bar when he heard a voice say: 'Don't move'. He pulled his licensed firearm and fired.
<end of story>
The area where the shooting occurred is frequented at nights by junkies, prostitutes and petty robbers. It is not violent but there is certainly a high probability for that to happen. I would not be on 'high' alert if I was there, nevertheless if a voice said 'don't move' then it would be condition red/black immediately.
Due to the shots to the back of the student and the number of shots the prosecution portrayed the man as reckless (hence overall a danger to society) and a cold-blooded killer.
IMHO, I think a firearms expert should have been called by the defence to the trial to educate the jury to the body's reaction to such a perceived threat. The businessman comments to the police at the scene may also have prejudiced his case. The 'eleven shots to the back whilst on the ground, face down' was the case buster, however it is not unusual for someone to empty a gun (15 shots) and still continue to press even after slide lock has occured due to fright,panic, loss of auditory and tactile perception etc. etc. To the businessman the 11 shots may have seemed like 1.
Are we glad such a person is off the streets, I am not quite sure as I think he made tactical blunders and really self-defence and not murder was the intention.