jade-ellsworth:purplethedragon:futureblackwakandan:gahdamnpunk:“The officer who fired the fatal shot
jade-ellsworth:purplethedragon:futureblackwakandan:gahdamnpunk:“The officer who fired the fatal shots at the 16-year-old, however, was cleared of all charges by a grand jury.” W T FThere is absolutely no justice in this. First of all why is he being tried as an adult?basically the reasoning behind this bs is that he was an accessory to murder because he was involved in the robbery, which “caused” the officer to have to fire his gun. laiketh was offered 25 years if he plead guilty, 65 if he took it to trial. (long sentences like this are basically used to scare people into pleading guilty.) he decided to fight (because, you know, he didn’t actually shoot anyone) but he lost. it’s so sad and stupid. apparently this wasn’t just bizarre mental gymnastics but in fact bizarre mental gymnastics that are encoded into the law system. Lakeith Smith was charged under Alabama’s accomplice liability law, which basically says that you’re culpable for unintentional deaths that occur in a felony you’re an accomplice to.Here is a bbc article about the concept generally and as it applies in this case and an aclu article about lakeith smith being charged as an adult/being punished for deciding not to take a plea deal. -- source link