We will use this case as the basis for some of the questions on the first exam.
We will use this case as the basis for some of the questions on the first exam. Please read about it now, and post your ideas below. i
Jayna Murray, shown above, was 30 years old when she was killed by a 21 year old co-worker at the yoga store where they both worked. The photo immediately above shows the array of the weapons the prosecution introduced at the trial, along with evidence that the defendant used each of these weapons (which she had to gather from different places in the store) to hit or cut the victim, in a killing that took hours. According to the prosecution, the motive for this killing was that the victim had caught the defendant attempting to steal merchandise from the store, and had threatened to turn her in.
After killing Jayna, the defendant attempted to construct a cover story. She made up a full and detailed one: about how she and Jayna had both been attacked, as they were about to leave the closed store, by two unidentifiable men who hid their bodies in long sleeve shirts and pants, and who covered their faces with ski masks. The defendant used a pair of mens’ tennis shoes kept in the store to create fake bloody footprints that she thought would support her story. She then cut herself in several places, sliced open her pants to simulate a rape, tied herself up, and waited for police to arrive.
Which degree of homicide is this, and why? The prosecution did not ask for the death penalty in this case. Given that, what punishment do you think is appropriate and why? The main issue upon sentencing was whether the defendant, who was only 21 at the time of the murder, should be given a chance for parole, or should serve her entire life in prison. Which sentence do you think is more appropriate. Why?
