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Defending Baby-Killing Parents: Help Me Understand The Logic!


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So, this summer I came across a blog post--I'm pretty sure it was on Gizmodo--about the "trend" in the US of parents forgetting their very young children in a locked car in the heat, and said children dying.

 

Now, I don't personally have children, but I'm generally of the opinion if you ARE stupid enough to create them (and stupid enough to be in the "monogamous relationship" that usually precedes their production--but that's a whole 'nother topic!), you damn well better take care of them and ensure that their precarious little human existence is not snuffed out by any of the numerous obstacles out there to their survival.

 

Certainly, if you're gonna have a fucking kid, you shouldn't forget them in a hot car with the result that they die!!! And you should pay the legal price if you do!!

 

I would add that I totally see the insanity in the fact that we have to pass tests to drive cars, and all sorts of other things, but we don't have to pass a test before we create and take control over a fragile human life...

 

But anyway, when I put said blog post about the murderous parents on my Facebook page, almost immediately, two of my FB friends started ranting against it, in DEFENSE of the killer parents!!!!

 

I quickly deleted both friends, of course, but I'm curious...is this a "thing"--defending people who FORGET their kids in hot cars, thus killing them?? Under what logic could a defense of such animals possibly proceed? If I'm missing something here, please, please help me understand...

 

One of the above-mentioned ex-friends put up some link to an online article defending these bastards, but for the life of me I can't locate that article now in any searches...??

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It is bad enough to leave an animal in a hot car, but a child is absolutely unbelievable. It seems rather obvious that the parents did not really want the child, who was probably an "accident". There are childless couples who would be happy to adopt. Such callousness is inexcusable and I hope the courts throw the book at them ... a heavy book.

 

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My link

 

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Google is a tool available to pretty much everyone.

 

My link

 

A Kentucky woman was convicted of murder Tuesday for leaving her 2-year-old son to die in a hot car while she was inside her apartment, passed out in a drug-addled stupor.

 

“[He was] too little to unbuckle his car seat,†prosecutor Erin McKenzie said in a Jefferson County court on Tuesday. “He sat in there and suffered while mom slept off a good buzz, and temperatures in the car reached horrifying heights.â€

 

A jury found Mollie Shouse, 29, guilty of wanton murder and recommended a 35-year prison sentence for the death last summer of her son Kenton Brown, the Courier-Journal in Louisville, Ky. reports.

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while I agree on harsh punishment for those parents, I am not so familar with the juridical system in the USA

 

at european courts "murder" usally needs a act of intention, a criminal intent; if no intention can be proven, the case would be considered as manslaughter caused by negligence

doubt that anyone would get a 35 years prison sentence in Europe for this

 

let's compare with a criminal, who kills someone during a robbery. He had the intention to use the weapon, if someone would resist him.

This is willful homicide and gets probably 15-20 years prison, depending on the criminal record

 

regarding the case of the parents, a judge would also need to examine the background. Is this death of the kid caused by a stupid behavior, by pure negligence or by a intention to get rid of the kid. If it is really the latter, then life imprisonment should be applied

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Not too sure about mainland EU but in UK murder is split into five defined categories

 

Full life Term, Multiple Victims, second offense , Political or religious gains

 

Minimum 30 Years Police or Prison officer, Explosives or Firearms, if full life term and offender is under 21

 

Minimum 25 Years Using a weapon other than a firearm

 

Minimum of 15 Years All other offenses if offender is over 18

 

Minimum of 12 Years if offender is under 18

 

As HT points out, for it to be classed as murder is has to be premeditated if not then the lesser offense of Manslaughter is applicable, this is also divided into two distinct sections

 

Voluntary Manslaughter , diminished responsibility, loss of control, suicide pact

 

Involuntary Manslaughter, gross negligence, medical , unlawful act.

 

So in the UK it is most likely that a parent who left their child in a locked car would be charged with Involuntary Manslaughter on the grounds of Gross Negligence.

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Australian Law is very much based on UK Common Law, I think in Oz the Charge would be "Involuntary Manslaughter on the Grounds of Criminal Negligence"

 

Both in UK and Oz the courts have the power to impose a "Full Life Term" sentence if the aggravating factors dictate such, in the case that Ima quoted where the mother was off her head and went to sleep off her buzz I assume that the courts in the UK would impose a stiffer sentence than a parent who was in a panic and just forgot even though I am not condoning either act.

 

There was an incident just 4 months ago when the British PM left his 8 year old daughter in a Pub My link but then again I don't believe he has thenIQ to have kids let alone run a country.

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at european courts "murder" usally needs a act of intention, a criminal intent; if no intention can be proven, the case would be considered as manslaughter caused by negligence doubt that anyone would get a 35 years prison sentence in Europe for this

 

 

True - in Europe, UK or Aus the charge would likely be manslaughter or involuntary manslaughter along with a host of other charges (criminal negligence etc). Murder = intent+plan+action - without intent or a plan (to kill) then the charge is manslaughter. Eg. Spur of the moment "crimes of passion", etc. In the US - "Murder in the first degree"/Murder 1 is equal to the UK/EU/AU version, "Murder in the second degree"/Murder 3 which I would assume "Wanton Murder" falls under, is what we call manslaughter. From memory Murder in the 3rd degree is involuntary manslaughter..

 

"Wanton Murder" is the charge - murder involving neglect/criminal neglect... That's how I read it all anyway, have been wrong before.

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In cases where the parent/s/guardian/s are unable to return to the child and the child dies. i.e. the parent gets hit by a bus whilst the child is buckled in only a few meters away, the parent should still be subject to a manslaughter charge.

 

In cases where the parent is neglectful, i.e. too drunk or similar, murder should be the charge.

 

But!

 

and this strays into the nature or nurture argument, there is an argument that the progeny of such idiots may well be as stupid, themselves.

 

I'm for increasing the quality of the gene pool, quite how this is done without being accused of racism or eugenics or similar, I don't know. But if people are going to do it themselves without my intervention, I can only approve...

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