Criminal Law Flashcards
(174 cards)
Bob, standing in California, shoots a high-powered rifle across state lines into Arizona and kills someone. Which state has jurisdiction over the crime?
Both. CA = conduct; AZ = result
Is there merger of crimes in American law?
Generally, no.
_____________ and ___________ do merge into the substantive offense. Thus, if you have completed that crime, you cannot be convicted of _____________________________.
Solicitation & attempt; attempting to commit the crime
Conspiracy does NOT merge into the substantive offense. Thus, you _______ be convicted of conspiring to do something and doing it.
Can
An act can be any bodily movement - but the act must be a _______________.
Voluntary act
Examples of bodily movements that do not qualify for criminal liability:
(1) Conduct which is not the product of your own volition;
(2) A reflexive or convulsive;
(3) An act performed while you are unconscious or asleep.
You are standing waiting for a train when someone pushes you into a 3rd person, who then falls in front of the train, is run over and killed. Would you be held criminally liable?
No. No voluntary act because was pushed.
Generally there is no legal duty _________ but sometimes there is a ________________.
To rescue; legal duty to act
A legal duty to act can arise in one of five circumstances:
(1) By statute
(2) By contract
(3) Because of the relationship between the parties
(4) Because you voluntarily assume a duty of care and fail to adequately perform it
(5) Where your conduct created the peril
Shaq has a party on the lake at his lake lot. Everyone suddenly notices a man flailing in the lake, as if he is about to drown. Shaq tells everyone that he’ll save the man, and he dives into the lake. Shaq swims out to the man and sees that the drowning man is Kobe. Kobe says, “Help all of my championship rings are weighing me down, and I’m drowning.” Shaq says, “That’s terrible - hasta la vista baby,” and then swims back. If Kobe drowns, does Shaq have any criminal liability?
Yes because he assumed a duty to act by saying he would save him.
Dr. Evil has a pool party and is showing off his fancy new laser pointer. He flashes the laser pointer into Austin’s eyes, and Austin falls into the pool. Austin cannot swim, and Dr. Evil decides to laugh, rather than do anything to save Austin. Will Dr. Evil face any criminal liability in this situation?
Yes because he created the problem.
4 Common Law Mental States of a Crime:
(1) Specific intent crimes;
(2) Malice crimes;
(3) General intent crimes;
(4) Strict liability crimes
The importance of specific intent crimes is that they will qualify for ______________ not available for other types of crime.
Additional defenses
Specific Intent Crimes
Students Can Always Fake a Laugh, Even For Ridiculous Bar Facts
(1) Solicitation
(2) Conspiracy
(3) Attempts of any crime
(4) First degree murder
(5) Assault
(6) Larceny
(7) Embezzlement
(8) False pretenses
(9) Robbery
(10) Burglary
(11) Forgery
Type of crime that doesn’t have to be for a specific purpose; reckless disregard of high risk.
Malice Crimes
On the bar exam, there are only 2malice crimes:
(1) Murder; and
(2) Arson
General wrongful intent.
General Intent Crimes
General intent is the big catch-all category. All crimes that are not specific intent or malice crimes unless they qualify for _________________.
Strict liability
Most common general intent crimes:
Rape & battery
I want to kill the woman wearing the Barney the Dinosaur shirt. I pull out my gun, fire it at the woman in the Barney shirt, but the shot misses her and instead hits and kills the woman in the Dora the Explorer shirt sitting behind her. Am I guilty of murder? Why or why not? If so, can I be charged with two crimes?
Yes, guilty of murder because of transferred intent. The intent was to kill one woman, so transferred to the one you did kill.
Can be charged with murder AND attempted murder (no merger!).
No intent crimes.
Strict liability crimes
The importance of strict liability on the bar exam is that any defense that _________________ cannot be a defense to the no intent crimes of strict liability.
Negates intention
Strict liability crimes are the ______________ crimes.
No intent
If the crime is in the administrative, regulatory, or morality area and you don’t see any adverbs in the statute such as ______________, _______________, or _________________, then the statute is meant to be a no intent crime of strict liability.
Knowingly; willfully; intentionally