what is 'first degree murder'?

[Ahkurosa0824]

what's second degree murder too?

I love mysteries, but i never understood that.

Thanks!

[Quizmonster]

Click here for a website which explains.

[jno]

perhaps you know this and it prompted your question, but the UK is proposing to recognise different degrees of murder too: here

[Grunty]

Hadn't realised that murder was also a name for a flock of crows. I know a few farmers who will now feel justified.

[Peter Pedant]

But at present Ahkurosa, unlike the Americans, the English just have murder, and if the jury finds the defendant guilty, the judge is bound by statute to sentence to life imprisonment.

The Home Secretary decides how long - usually around 10 years, if the convict shows repentenance. This system did not work too badly for forty years until someone noticed that the Home secretary - an elected politician - was behaving as a judge. AMazingly it took forty years for people to notice that this conflicted with the separation of powers - executive,legislature,judiciary.

So they're gonna change it, and also bring in various degrees of murder.

IF you dont repent you stay inside, and I think the record holder is Dr Vickers who poisoned his wife with cis-platin (and then refused to marry his mistress who told the police in revenge but was acquitted herself of helping) who is still inside (since 1976) because he wont say he did it. He insists that although he gave her cis platin, she died of natural causes.

[jno]

that's a problem, isn't it PP - if you didn't do it, and insist you're innocent, you'll stay inside much longer than someone who did do it and admits it, because they'll say you haven't repented and confronted your guilt. I don't supposed the proposed new system will address this compound injustice.

[Peter Pedant]

while I think you are right jno,

Dr Vickers did it. Cisplatin is an anti-cancer drug which he prescribed for his mistress and gave his wife. If you give it in an overdose you may die. he gave it to his wife in large doses who obligingly died and er, he says Oh it was really natrual causes. Sounds like a good going case of denial to me.

[jno]

no doubt PP but I was thinking of those various people who have eventually had convictions overturned. It always turns out they've spent years more in jail than they would have done if they'd pretended they had committed the crime, which seems outrageous.

Sorry Ahkurosa, wandering away from your question a bit, I know.

[Ahkurosa0824]

Wow, thanks for the site. You guys really did get off the topic alittle, but thanks anyways! =)