Criminal Law, Procedure and Individual Rights Assignment
1. Motorcyclists surround an SUV driver on a weekend day in New York City after accidentally clipping the wheel of one of the cyclists. The SUV driver drives away, accidentally running over one of the cyclists, breaking his spine in the process. Has the SUV driver committed a crime? Explain.
2. It's Just an Accident! Jones, while driving heavy machinery on a road construction project next to a river in Alaska, accidentally ruptures the nearby oil line, causing some of it to spill into the river. Can an accident like this be a crime? Why?
3. Bully. A young girl, age 12, is bullied on Facebook by up to 15 others because she had dated a boy who was now dating someone in the group of 15. The young girl climbs a tower in a nearby abandoned factory and jumps, committing suicide. The parents of one of the chief instigators, who provided no supervision of their child's on-line activities, are not remorseful and give their daughter back her Facebook privileges. Can the parents be charged with a crime?
4. State v. Graham. A woman and man, both in their early 20s, get married in Montana. Eight days after their marriage, they go hiking in Glacier National Park. The woman returns, the man does not. The woman first said she received a text from her husband that he was leaving for a while with an out-of-town friend. She later confessed that she got into an argument with her husband while hiking on a high trail, that he grabbed her arm, and when he let her go she pushed him and he fell off of the cliff. Did she commit a crime? Why?
5. Celebrity Killer. A well-known athlete is at home with his girlfriend at night when he says he thought he heard a prowler. He investigated, and thought someone was breaking in through the bathroom. The man fired several shots at the perceived intruder. Instead, the man killed his girlfriend, who was behind the locked door in the bathroom. A witness for the prosecution testified that she lived nearby, and heard a woman scream loudly that night. The defendant did not say anything about hearing a scream. Should the man be found guilty of a crime?