Murder
Murder v. Homicide Defined
Homicide, by simple definition, is the killing of one human being by another. Murder is a form of criminal homicide. A person is guilty of criminal homicide if he/she purposely, knowingly, recklessly, or negligently causes the death of another human being. Other forms of criminal homicide are manslaughter and negligent homicide.
There are two sets of definitions when classifying varying categories of homicide. There are common law definitions, and model penal code definitions. Definitions under common law are first-degree murder, second-degree murder, voluntary manslaughter, and involuntary manslaughter. Under the model penal code, there is murder, voluntary murder, manslaughter, and negligent homicide.
Missouri Murder News
In January of this year in Lampe, Missouri, an older couple was the victim of a possibly burglary-gone-wrong. Paul Brooks, 70, and his wife Margaret, 69, were both stabbed and bludgeoned to death in their home. The assailants were two teens who had recently ran away from a local Christian youth camp for at-risk teens. Chris Allen, 15, and his accomplice Anthony Zarro, 16, had broken into a vacant home near the Brooks' residence. After what appears to have been a few days of occupying the empty vacation home, the boys broke into the Brooks' home and attacked the elderly couple. The crime is understandably portrayed as a senseless act of violence against an innocent older couple. The article by mlive.com doesn't go into much detail, but there is clearly no sympathy for the young killers. The two boys are charged with first-degree murder, armed criminal action, and felony burglary. The most interesting part of this case is how the teens were apprehended. a neighbor heard the commotion and was able to hold the two attackers at gunpoint until authorities arrived on scene. Had this not occurred, the crime may have gone unsolved. Video from Channel 5 KSDK can be seen below.
Media
The book Inside the Mind of a Teen Killer by author Phil Chalmers is an anti-violence project aimed at drawing attention the shocking crimes committed by teens. The book chronicles several teen killers and the despicable acts they carried out. Of particular interest in this book are the explanations why these killers did what they did.
Serial murder in particular is a very interesting topic and has been growing in popularity (if you can call it that) in recent decades. One of my favorite TV shows, Dexter, is definitely worth checking out if you haven't seen it. The show follows blood spatter analyst Dexter Morgan, a serial killer who targets other killers and unsavory types, as he leads a harrowing double life on both sides of the law. The show doesn't offer much in terms of realistic criminal investigations but the entertainment value is up there.
Sunday, March 31, 2013
Saturday, March 16, 2013
Mob Violence
Defined
Mob violence occurs when a crowd is "set off," which causes them to spiral out of control toward a common goal; a goal achieved through aggression and violence. Two examples of mob violence are riots and lynchings.
Why?
Humans are emotional beings, and whether or not we acknowledge it, we are perceptive to the emotions of those around us. When people with a common mind set gather together, like fans at a sporting event, it is easy for anger to trigger spontaneous outbursts. These outbursts, when experienced within a like-minded group, can cause large groups of people to cope or react using mob violence.
Mob Violence in Missouri
Mob violence in the state of Missouri seems to be a relatively frequent occurrence, especially in the last 5 years. Unfortunately, many of these instances of mob violence go unpunished as victims are usually overpowered and unable to seek help for the offenders flee. I did find one particular case of mob violence that resulted in at least the apprehension of two suspects.
On April 2, 2012, KMOV.com reported that the St. Louis Metropolitan Police were investigating an attack on two men in a downtown park. Two men, ages 53 and 62, were assaulted by 15 teen boys and girls. The suspect even changed targets and stole an iPod from another teen who was present. Police were quoted saying the following: “We don’t believe that their intent necessarily was to commit crimes, but then it almost appears they started feeding off each other, each one encouraging the other one and saying, ‘hey we can do this’ and they started seeing some people they felt they could take advantage of.” 13 of the fifteen suspects were booked and released to their parents, one was taking into the juvenile justice system, and one 18-year-old was kept in custody. As the three victims only suffered minor injuries, no formal charges were filed at the time of this story. Video can be seen here.
Societal Conditions
The victims of this crime were minding their own business when the offenders, a group of bored teens, decided to launch an unprovoked attack.
Media Discussion
The offenders of mob violence in Missouri, not just in this instance, are overwhelmingly comprised of young adults ranging in ages from 11-18. The victims on the other hand come from a diverse variety of backgrounds. The one thing the victims have in common is that they are innocent and vulnerable.
Media
Public service announcements are a great way to make sure a message reaches are large population, especially when used on television. According to examiner.com, this is exactly what happened in 2011 when a local Fox network in Philadelphia began running PSAs in an effort to raise awareness about mob violence and encourage parents to keep track of their children.
Books, while becoming dated in their traditional form, are still extremely useful in conveying information of any kind to those who seek the knowledge. The book "White Girl Bleed A Lot" by author Colin Flaherty focuses on mob violence in America. The book looks specifically at black-on-white violence in over 75 American cities and how the media and local governments choose to ignore it.
Defined
Mob violence occurs when a crowd is "set off," which causes them to spiral out of control toward a common goal; a goal achieved through aggression and violence. Two examples of mob violence are riots and lynchings.
Why?
Humans are emotional beings, and whether or not we acknowledge it, we are perceptive to the emotions of those around us. When people with a common mind set gather together, like fans at a sporting event, it is easy for anger to trigger spontaneous outbursts. These outbursts, when experienced within a like-minded group, can cause large groups of people to cope or react using mob violence.
Mob Violence in Missouri
Mob violence in the state of Missouri seems to be a relatively frequent occurrence, especially in the last 5 years. Unfortunately, many of these instances of mob violence go unpunished as victims are usually overpowered and unable to seek help for the offenders flee. I did find one particular case of mob violence that resulted in at least the apprehension of two suspects.
On April 2, 2012, KMOV.com reported that the St. Louis Metropolitan Police were investigating an attack on two men in a downtown park. Two men, ages 53 and 62, were assaulted by 15 teen boys and girls. The suspect even changed targets and stole an iPod from another teen who was present. Police were quoted saying the following: “We don’t believe that their intent necessarily was to commit crimes, but then it almost appears they started feeding off each other, each one encouraging the other one and saying, ‘hey we can do this’ and they started seeing some people they felt they could take advantage of.” 13 of the fifteen suspects were booked and released to their parents, one was taking into the juvenile justice system, and one 18-year-old was kept in custody. As the three victims only suffered minor injuries, no formal charges were filed at the time of this story. Video can be seen here.
Societal Conditions
The victims of this crime were minding their own business when the offenders, a group of bored teens, decided to launch an unprovoked attack.
Media Discussion
The offenders of mob violence in Missouri, not just in this instance, are overwhelmingly comprised of young adults ranging in ages from 11-18. The victims on the other hand come from a diverse variety of backgrounds. The one thing the victims have in common is that they are innocent and vulnerable.
Media
Public service announcements are a great way to make sure a message reaches are large population, especially when used on television. According to examiner.com, this is exactly what happened in 2011 when a local Fox network in Philadelphia began running PSAs in an effort to raise awareness about mob violence and encourage parents to keep track of their children.
Books, while becoming dated in their traditional form, are still extremely useful in conveying information of any kind to those who seek the knowledge. The book "White Girl Bleed A Lot" by author Colin Flaherty focuses on mob violence in America. The book looks specifically at black-on-white violence in over 75 American cities and how the media and local governments choose to ignore it.
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