Morning News: Felony Murder

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Oscar Sosa/New York Times

The doctrine of Felony Murder is one of those troglodyte ideas that have come down to us from the Bad Old Days. It has been abolished in most of the other major Common Law markets (so to speak) — England in 1957; India and Canada thereafter. According to the aggressive version of this doctrine that holds in Florida, accessories to murder share full culpability. The guy who drives the getaway car, notoriously, is as guilty as the shooter.

Even the guy who lends the getaway car, it seems. If Adam Liptak’s story about Ryan Holle’s bad luck doesn’t put your bowels in an uproar, then you have no conscience.

Did I say “bad luck”? Ho ho! Could it be that Mr Holle, a black man, was unlucky to be charged with felony-murder in Florida?

3 Responses to “Morning News: Felony Murder”

  1. Father Tony says:

    You have to understand about Florida. It’s different. The people there have bad dreams, and when they wake up, they act them out, assuming the roles of their most monstrous nocturnal churnings. They do this all day long, until night offers them some respite and a replacement horror. Up here, we sometimes dream badly, but we shed it with daylight and strive for social betterment. See how it is?

  2. George says:

    Surely, you live under a rock if you have to ask why the Felony Murder Rule lives on in Florida. Remember we have Public Law No: 107-56 and all its many sequels. Can you say,”Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism?” And, then of course we elected the previous Florida governor’s brother President, surely, you remember that. Well, maybe we didn’t elect him maybe he was given to us. Which part of Wooden Ships did you not understand?

  3. Max says:

    Jesus fucking Christ.

    Hm, it wouldn’t be a huge stretch, then, to charge gun dealers with murder whenever the weapons they sold are used, would it? Somehow I don’t think that would get any traction, though.