• Rusty Shackleford
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    386 days ago

    So, if you actually read the article, it says he claimed that the steering wheel locked up on him, but the NTSB stated that he suffered from severe fatigue. Maricopa county prosecutors said there wasn’t enough evidence to press any felonious charges.

    So, at best, this would be a case of manslaughter (which is a felony), but there’s no conclusivity on whether it was with malicious intent or premeditated.

    So no, he’s not a murderer. He negligently fell asleep at the wheel.

    • @lennee@lemmy.world
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      276 days ago

      If u drive while being impaired (by whatever) ur a piece of shit and if u kill anyone doing that (except like suffering a heart attack or something not foreseeable) ur a murderer in my mind.

      • Rusty Shackleford
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        236 days ago

        Fortunately, the law doesn’t operate on what’s in your mind.

        Murder implies premeditation. The prosecutor and judge didn’t see evidence of premeditation.

        • @meco03211@lemmy.world
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          156 days ago

          A lot of people use the word “murder” in a colloquial sense and not a strictly legal one. Further some jurisdictions have degrees of murder where other jurisdictions would use manslaughter. I’m assuming the person you responded to meant the lesser charges.

          • @lennee@lemmy.world
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            6 days ago

            Yeah im not gonna use a legal definition colloquially cuz im not a weirdo. And ur obviously right that even in a colloquial sense there is a difference between premeditated murder and non-premeditated murder. Im not arguing that the guy is jack the ripper.

        • LousyCornMuffins
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          6 days ago

          the law doesn’t operate on what’s in your mind.

          are you sure? intent is an element of many crimes.

          edit: i tired nvm

      • @Fedizen@lemmy.world
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        6 days ago

        Failing to maintain a vehicle is an impairment. Also “my steering wheel locked up” is not a reason to not hit the brakes.

      • As someone who is a master of operating under what should be severe impairment I agree, being awake for 48 just leaves me vaguely slow when I talk. Also folks need to know their fucking limits, I refused to drive while I had food poisoning because I couldn’t think and also I didn’t want to shit myself in my car.