Problem
Anna has been arrested for the death of her boyfriend. The prosecution is still gathering evidence, but this is what we know for now.
The boyfriend was found shot in the chest in the backyard of his grandmother's house in Santa Monica, California. Investigators traced the bullet to a gun licensed to Anna. According to Anna's sister, she was angry with the boyfriend because he sold her car without permission
Anna turned herself into the police the day of the shooting. She admits that the gun is hers and that she was angry. However, she claims that the gun was left at the grandmother's house for protection and that the grandmother is a former Santa Monica police officer with experience in firearms.
Anna believes that the boyfriend left his keys at her house and did not try to collect them due to the argument. He then jumped over the fence to the backyard of his grandmother's house to enter through a side door. Because the boyfriend gets off work around midnight, it was probably around 1:00 a.m.when this happened. Anna believes, and there is a phone record to show, that a neighbor called the grandmother to warn about the possible intruder. Anna believes that the grandmother then went to the back and fired at the boyfriend (her grandson). At some point, the same neighbor called the police.
Early forensics show no gun residue on Anna or the grandmother. Though, a search of the grandmother's home showed that she had showered, completed a load of laundry, and sanitized the kitchen before police arrived. One of the neighbors told investigators that the grandmother seems to be suffering from early dementia.
Police believe that Anna somehow set it up so that the grandmother would be the one to shoot the boyfriend.
Task
a) List the five elements of criminal homicide.
b) Given the facts, discuss whether the prosecution will be able to prove each of the five elements of criminal homicide against the grandmother. [2 to 4 paragraphs, depending on quality and length.]
c) Prepare and share a thoughtful response to one other student. (Three to four sentences.)