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I was watching a reality show episode last night, and in it was a proxy murder case. At the end of the episode, the woman who ordered her son to commit the murder was sent to prison for life, but the future of the son was unclear. In a case like this, would the son be exonerated because someone else ordered him to commit the murder even though he did not want to? Or would he still go to prison because he did still shoot the gun?
If he got a good plea deal for telling on his mother, it's possible that he could get a very short sentence.
If there are extenuating circumstances, like the DA is convinced that the son only acted out of fear for his own life, that his mother threatened his safety if he didn't do it, a minimal sentence for manslaughter or something can be part of the deal for testifying against Mommy Dearest.
I was watching a reality show episode last night, and in it was a proxy murder case. At the end of the episode, the woman who ordered her son to commit the murder was sent to prison for life, but the future of the son was unclear. In a case like this, would the son be exonerated because someone else ordered him to commit the murder even though he did not want to? Or would he still go to prison because he did still shoot the gun?
No. If more than one person is involved in the crime, then they can all be charged for the same crime. At the very least, participants could be charged with conspiracy to commit murder, even though they did not do the actual killing. One person being found guilty of the crime does not mean others can't also be found guilty of the same crime.
I was watching a reality show episode last night, and in it was a proxy murder case. At the end of the episode, the woman who ordered her son to commit the murder was sent to prison for life, but the future of the son was unclear. In a case like this, would the son be exonerated because someone else ordered him to commit the murder even though he did not want to? Or would he still go to prison because he did still shoot the gun?
Both have committed murder even if one was not at the scene of the crime. Both are guilty of murder.
The law recognizes the idea of a "conspiracy" to commit murder. Two of us agree to commit a crime and only one of us points the gun and pulls the trigger. We are both guilty.
Another theory of liability under criminal law is "accomplice liability". A first degree principal fires the gun that kills the victim. Others can be guilty by "aiding and abetting" the first degree principal. One can also be an accessory before the fact or an accessory after the fact. The distinctions will affect the length of your sentence, but not your guilt.
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