So this woman had 7 years for eluding police officers, on top of this she got another 8 years because her false report had officers out searching, one of the officers was killed when a car struck him on the shoulder of the road. They're charging her with his death. Well that seems quite off to me she didn't kill him, she didn't intend for a possibly reckless driver to kill him. Why is she responsible for the recklessness of another driver? It's like the case where a guy and girl robbed a house and the homeowner ended up chasing and shooting the girl in the back, which led to the guy (thief) being charged with her murder and not the actual person responsible. Shouldn't the hitting of someone on the shoulder be a separate crime and a separate case?
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/201...-year_pri.html
What of the actions of the reckless driver in the shoulder?But for your actions, the chain of events which culminated in the death of a young father of two... he would be alive today,'' Mellaci said.
Life sentence possibility seems absolutely ludicrous.Originally facing a life sentence, Hoffman pleaded guilty on April 4 in Monmouth County to a first-degree offense of raising a false public alarm, a second-degree charge of eluding and two motor vehicle offenses for reckless driving and speeding.
Zawojski said her daughter's life spiraled downward a month after Hoffman's brother was fatally shot in a standoff with Atlantic County authorities at the home he shared with his mother and sister last year. She said her daughter took responsibility for her actions, but said the punishment was severe.
"I could see if she murdered him, ran him over with her vehicle,'' Zawojski said.
"I know she was wrong for the eluding, but she wasn't wrong for his death. She wasn't.'
I can't help but feel if this has happened say to a person who was out and about due to a lie told by another, that if they were hit by a reckless driver the reckless driver would have been more culpable.