re: #390 keithgabryelski

We consider intent when one person dies at the hands of another:
First degree murder: planned murder
Second degree murder: intent to kill with-out fore-thought
Voluntary man slaughter: killing in heat of the moment
Involuntary man slaughter: killing with-out intent or desire to do so.

We consider the intent here because we understand the difference between a guy that plans to kill his business partner for two months is different than the guy that killed when he returned a punch by a wandering drunk.

To give each classification the highest penalty “25 years to life” (for instance) seems inappropriate to me — in fact, seems like cruel and unusual punishment for the crime.

So, we already classify crimes due to intent — this is just another form, that has been shown to work and generally is not abused (just like the degrees of murder classifications).

You’re talking apples and oranges and making it across the board. I never said all murders require the same punishment. I feel first degree murders should require the death penalty, whether the victim was gay, black, a woman, whatever. If a man beats another man with a baseball bat when he’s drunk, its somehow less of a crime if he beats up a heterosexual white male instead of a gay black man? Its a brutal crime either way and the man should be put away for a long, long time.