Police Officer lives are more special, apparently.

[Themius]

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

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.

What of the actions of the reckless driver in the shoulder?

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.'

Life sentence possibility seems absolutely ludicrous.

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.

[Belize]

Give us this day our daily police bash thread.

[echoSAW]

I'm guessing the reckless driver is also getting charged with something. Is the woman DIRECTLY responsible for the death, as in, was she the driver? No. However, if the officer was out doing something for the sole reason of trying to find her she should be held at least partially responsible.

[babalou1]

Death during commission of a felony... it makes it automatic murder.

[Themius]

I'm guessing the reckless driver is also getting charged with something. Is the woman DIRECTLY responsible for the death, as in, was she the driver? No. However, if the officer was out doing something for the sole reason of trying to find her she should be held at least partially responsible.

Yes partially, not completely responsible and facing life in prison as if she went out and put a gun to his head and fired it.

No no it was just an accident the driver who was on the shoulder (where he shouldn't have been) isn't facing any charges to my knowledge.

[Aeula]

We charge people for unknowingly starting chains of events now? What the fuck is wrong with this world?

[echoSAW]

Yes partially, not completely responsible and facing life in prison as if she went out and put a gun to his head and fired it.

No no it was just an accident the driver who was on the shoulder (where he shouldn't have been) isn't facing any charges to my knowledge.

Just because a life sentence in POSSIBLE does not make it LIKELY. There would no doubt need to be a very specific set of circumstances and evidence involved before a life sentence would be considered. If those circumstances and that evidence exists, it would be up to a judge to decide, who is no doubt more knowledgeable on the subject than anyone on these boards

[Crissi]

Was the false report a felony? Then depending on the state, a death while in comission of a felony (even if you didnt directly cause it) gets you charged with murder.

[Raptor With a Saber]

She caused it with her lies. Had she not lied he would be alive simple as that.

[Themius]

She caused it with her lies. Had she not lied he would be alive simple as that.

Had reckless driver not been in shoulder he wouldn't have died.

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Just because a life sentence in POSSIBLE does not make it LIKELY. There would no doubt need to be a very specific set of circumstances and evidence involved before a life sentence would be considered. If those circumstances and that evidence exists, it would be up to a judge to decide, who is no doubt more knowledgeable on the subject than anyone on these boards

She was facing possible life, she took a plea.

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Was the false report a felony? Then depending on the state, a death while in comission of a felony (even if you didnt directly cause it) gets you charged with murder.

Shouldn't the actual other person face something? It doesn't make sense to say "you killed him, with that guys recklessness."

[babalou1]

Had reckless driver not been in shoulder he wouldn't have died.

I cant tell if this is a troll or not..


The cop was ONLY there because of the actions of the woman. Had she not made a false report, HE. WOULD. NOT. HAVE. BEEN. THERE.

[tj119]

Her idiotic actions caused his death. That's about the end of that.

[Crissi]

Had reckless driver not been in shoulder he wouldn't have died.

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She was facing possible life, she took a plea.

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Shouldn't the actual other person face something? It doesn't make sense to say "you killed him, with that guys recklessness."

If it was reckless driving, the other person could be. A general accident doesn't usually result in charges for that person though.

[Munkeechick]

if you rob a bank and someone inside suffers a stroke and dies, you're going to be tried for murder as well. If someone dies while you commit a felony, you're responsible for their death whether you wanted them dead or not. Don't bash the police for the laws civilians ask for and pass through their government.

[Themius]

I cant tell if this is a troll or not..


The cop was ONLY there because of the actions of the woman. Had she not made a false report, HE. WOULD. NOT. HAVE. BEEN. THERE.

Had reckless driver not been driving recklessly he also wouldn't have died.

It's like... if a drunk driver ran him over... you're not going to charge him with a dui and vehicular manslaughter, oh no... you'll charge the woman with the dui and murder.

[Crissi]

Had reckless driver not been driving recklessly he also wouldn't have died.

It's like... if a drunk driver ran him over... you're not going to charge him with a dui and vehicular manslaughter, oh no... you'll charge the woman with the dui and murder.

I read the article, and nothing stated on if the driver was driving recklessly, or just had a genuine accident.

[echoSAW]

I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say the reckless driver is also likely being charged with something. But that sort of lessens the impact of this whole misapplication of justice argument we have going here.

[Themius]

I read the article, and nothing stated on if the driver was driving recklessly, or just had a genuine accident.

Well it sounds like it given he was in the shoulder.

[zknm7]

She caused it with her lies. Had she not lied he would be alive simple as that.

You can't, in all honesty, say such a thing. We have no way of knowing whether he would be alive or not if she had not lied and they had not been out searching... maybe he would have been hit by a friggin ice cream truck in his own neighborhood, or maybe he would have been shot in the line of duty... I find it absolutely absurd that this woman is being charged with anything in relation to the death of the officer, quite frankly, if the West Point cadet had been paying attention in the first place, the cop would still be alive... we need to lay the blame with whom it ought to reside... a less-than-attentive driver who should not have hit a police officer on the shoulder of the road. Sure, lying is wrong, but she had no idea that lying about this would cause a man to lose his life, and for a driver to manage to hit a pedestrian on the shoulder of the road makes it very clear that he wasn't paying attention to driving, and I for one sure as hell think that people who don't do that should be held accountable... just the other day I was behind an incredibly stupid woman who I could SEE texting while she drove, and THREE TIMES she almost hit oncoming traffic or a mailbox.... is your text so damned important that you can't wait until you stop to send it, or at least pull over? Do you need to change the radio so badly, or type an address into your nav system, that you need to take your eyes off of the road? You're driving a 1.5+ ton machine (at the very least, for the most part) and it deserves ALL of your attention. The driver who hit him should face manslaughter charges, he's the one who hit him, not her, and the cop could have been out on the road on foot for myriad other reasons and had the same thing happen to him. This charge sounds like a knee-jerk reaction of some angry cops, and it's bullshit. Charge the driver of the vehicle with the death, not this woman.

[babalou1]

Had reckless driver not been in shoulder he wouldn't have died.

Show me in the article where it says reckless driving? Having an Accident is not the same thing as reckless driving. The only place i see reckless driving is what you described the guy.

There is a difference.