WK5TA

Sentencing Proposal (Preparation)

Sentencing Proposal

After analyzing the case of Stu Dents, we, as a team have agreed that Stu Dents should be found guilty of first degree murder. We have come to this conclusion due to the fact that Stu Dents had pictures of the victim in his home prior to her murder- a sign that he had been watching and obsessing over her every move and this is when his plan began. It is noted that there were no drugs found in the victim’s home nor in her system and also there were none present in Stu Dents when he was arrested. Before killing his victim, Mr. Dents also committed burglary and kidnapped her-taking her against her own will. This led us to believe that Stu Dents seems to have planned out what he was going to do.

Having pictures of the victim all over his home proving an ongoing obsession and his drug exams testing negative shows he was not under that influence when he committed the murder and had a clear mind. Stu Dents then committed assault on the officer when he was being arrested and when he was arrested, it became clear he did have some sort of mental illness.

First degree murder will only be part of his charge and sentence to make sure that he is off the streets as soon as possible. However, other charges should be brought against him such as kidnapping and assault on an officer charges on top of what he already has. Under Colorado law, Stu Dents can be sentenced to a minimum life in prison sentence- this is excluding the burglary, assault on an officer and kidnapping charges.

Mr. Dent’s case is one of many that are difficult because you are dealing with offenders who are not mentally okay. Their brains work differently and may lead them to commit crimes they never thought they would do. Even though Stu Dents seems to have a mental illness, the way he was acting made our team better understand his main purpose was the death of the victim which for more reasoning as a team we all agree this is the best sentence for cases like this.

Notes from Professor,

Good job! Your sentencing proposal was very clear and you met the word count. Your desired outcome was emphatically stated and supported with facts. I like that you included the other charges, but I would have liked to see a few intermediate sanctions proposed - i.e. if you can't get the jury to agree to life, what lesser included sanction would you offer? Also, what would you offer on the other charges as your first and second options? I also would have like to see your research/citations of the state laws included within the text itself, including the citations. Overall, a nice start to the final project.

References

Colorado Felony. (2017). Retrieved from http://felonyguide.com/Colorado-Felony.php

Colorado Felony Colorado First-Degree Murder. (2017). Retrieved from http://statelaws.findlaw.com/colorado-law/colorado-first-degree-murder.html