Preview

Watson Murder Case

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1269 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Watson Murder Case
Driving is a privilege that people have deemed a right and some believe it is even okay to drink and drive having a license gives no one the right to endanger lives. With PEOPLE v. WATSON, the defendant had multiple DUI’s and was found guilty of second degree murder based on a theory of “implied malice.” This case left a precedent of ensuring that every person caught driving under the influence faces prosecution by signing a “Watson Advisement.” However, there is enough educational warning about the dangers of driving under the influence that even in the first DUI a person should be charged with deeper punishment. After reading statistics like this the average person realizes there’s nothing they can do to protect themselves; thus solidifying …show more content…
These include second-degree murder, also known as “Watson” murder, gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, and vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated. Of these three felony charges, a Watson murder is the most serious offense and has the harshest penalties
“Watson murder” branches from the California Supreme Court Case People v. Watson. This case shaped the possibility that someone can be convicted of second-degree murder when killing someone in a crash while driving. The three essentials that the prosecution must prove to convict someone of Watson murder
…show more content…
In the PEOPLE v. WATSON signing a “Watson Advisement” must make the second offense more punishable but people shouldn’t be allowed the chance of a second offense. From a young age warnings about driving under the influence are as common as the “ABC’s.” In the California Driver’s Handbook there is an in depth section about alcohol, drugs, and how they don’t mix with driving. On majority of freeways and highways there are billboards with warnings about driving under the influence. There are countless organizations like Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), Students Against Drunk Driving(SADD), Dads Against Drunk Driving (DADD), and Families of Murdered Victims working against drinking and driving by spreading awareness continuously. Liquor stores, bars, and restaurants have warning signs. When stepping behind the wheel while intoxicated there is no way a person wouldn’t realize what they’re doing is dangerous and if they don’t they shouldn’t drink.
DUI cases are handled like pedophilia and rape cases: the defendant gets off the hook through some obscure loophole or malarkey reason and spends maybe a few years in prison or even just probation only to commit the crime again. When a person is arrested for a DUI they are held for a period of time to sober up and released on bail with a court date. A DUI without injury is a slap on the wrist of fines, loss of their driver’s

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    The states have taken some effective measures such as immediate lecense suspension, lowering the blood alcohol concentration legal level from .01 to .08 for adults and for people under age 21 to .02. Other's such as sobriety checkpoints, public education, community awareness, and media campaigns about the dangers of alcohol-impaired driving. In addition some strategies should be considered, such as those outlined during the Surgeon General's Workshop on Drunk Driving and in the national plan for injury prevention and control. Such strategies include changing the social norm to make alcohol-impaired driving socially unacceptable, limiting alcohol avilability among underaged youth, a lcohol service training for those who sell and serve alcohol, early alcohol treatment and rehabilitation programs, offering alternative transprotation programs for those of the leagal drinking age, and increasing the perception of the risk for arrest for alcohol-impaired driving. States like California have raised the penalty for misdemeanor drunk driving offenses to a maxium $1000 fine and one year in jail. In July, a state law took effect requiring twice-convicted drunk drivers to equip their cars wit h a breath analysis device that prevents them from starting their engines if they have a blood-alcohol level higher than .02%. And after Jan. 1, people under the age of 21 caught driving with a bolld-alcohol level .01% or greater will immediatley lose th eir driver's licenses for one year. In fact Ohio now allows officials to confiscate vehicles registered to drivers with at least four DUI convictions in a five-year period of those who twice allow their vehicles to be used by someone they know to be drun k or without a license. Currently the state istaking away those cars and putting them in a car crusher. Steps like these need to continue to be taken and hopefully the number of accidents will…

    • 872 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    163.118 Manslaughter in the first degree. (1) Criminal homicide constitutes manslaughter in the first degree when:…

    • 309 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    There are times when people drive home under the influence of alcohol. Many times, people get home without getting pulled over by the local police department, sheriff’s department or the state patrol. Drivers who do get pulled over for drunk driving will be arrested and need to hire an attorney. Lawyers represent men and women in the courtroom, and negotiate lighter sentences with judge and district attorney’s office, there are even times when the case gets dismissed altogether even those the individual were clearly impaired behind the wheel breaking the law. My argument for my paper is whether or not there should be stricter DUI laws in the state of Wisconsin.…

    • 885 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In an article called from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration called, “Impaired Driving: Get the Facts” it states, “Every day, almost 30 people in the United States die in motor vehicle crashes that involve an alcohol-impaired driver. This amounts to one death every 51 minutes. The annual cost of alcohol-related crashes totals more than $59 billion” (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration 1). The fact that so many people die every day in the United States from alcohol related accidents is absolutely ridiculous. The stories are endless. In Steve Schmadeke’s article, “Man gets 15 years in DUI accident that killed mother, son” He talks about the terrible tragedy that ended two innocent lives. Schmadeke states, “A speeding, unlicensed driver who crashed into another car on the Northwest Side, killing a mother and her teenage son and injuring three other children, was sentenced Monday to 15 years in prison” (Schmadeke 1). Because 37 year old, Richard Strum decided to drive while intoxicated, he took two innocent lives and injured three others. He not only took a mother, but he also took a daughter, sister, and wife. He not only took a son, but he also took a brother, cousin, best friend, student, and ultimately someone who didn’t even have a chance at real life before it was taken away. Drunken driving accidents are far too…

    • 1760 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Second degree murder isn't as punishable as first degree murder. There was a case in Louisiana a few years back where a six year old boy was killed in a pursuit, by two police officers. The two men refused to give a reasoning to why they began the pursuit or why they opened fire. “The coroner said the boy was struck several times in the head and chest. An autopsy was performed on Wednesday, but a final report was not expected to be ready for eight weeks.” The two police officers, Norris Greenhouse Jr., and Lt. Derrick Stafford were indicted with second degree murder, and were put on administrative leave.…

    • 552 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    First-degree premeditated murder. Four shots to the head, three behind the victims ear and one above her eyebrow, two more pierced through her chest and several scattered across her body. Yet, he still claims, “it was unintentional”. The Defendant claimed that he missed the first two shots of firing at her. She reacted by jumping on the bed and shoving him, resulting in him shoving her onto the floor and shooting her in the head and all over her body as she lay on the floor.…

    • 543 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Federal Law on Homicide

    • 766 Words
    • 4 Pages

    First on our list is the harshest of the three murder categories, first degree murder is unlawful killing of a human being by a human being involving malice aforethought (i.e., intent to kill) and premeditation (Ousey, 2008). For example say John Smith thinks his neighbor Bill Jones is an alien from another planet and is going to take John as a prisoner, so John devises a plan to kill Bill. He has watched Bill very close to get idea of his day to day activity to figure out the best time to strike. John stalks Bill like a lioness on the hunt and when he sees an opening he shoots Bill in the back and puts him in a pre-dug and unmarked grave. John is arrested and charged with first degree murder since he planned the murder showing premeditation with malice or hatred intent. The state of mind or mens rea shows that John had the intent of killing Bill when he shot Bill in the back and then tried to cover up the crime. Possible defense of insanity, defense could argue that John thought Bill was an alien and was planning to abduct him and in his mind was using self defense. John has a history of mental illness and has been of his meds.…

    • 766 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    -Ramona French 2011. The court has to prove that the defendant has committed the murder, that the killing was premeditated and done intentionally, or that it was done with complete disregard for human life. If the court of law has enough evidence to…

    • 713 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Driving under the influence has been this country’s most frequent committed crime as there were few laws and weren’t as strict. The problems that lead to the creation of MADD were the many alcohol related accidents that have occurred with minimum punishment. In 1980, 27,000 alcohol-related traffic fatalities occurred in the United States each year, including 2,500 in California alone. The blood alcohol level in the United States was .15 in 1938 but then .10 in the 80’s before MADD and other advocate groups pressured it to be lowered to now .08 in the year 2005. Another issue was that many underage people were drinking alcohol. The drinking age depending on the state was 18 years old but has not been raised to 21 in the…

    • 962 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    There are many different legal categories of homicide. Two of these categories are; first degree murder and second degree murder. If the person acted with ‘malice aforethought’ or, planned to kill another individual and proceeded to carry out the act, then it is considered first degree murder. Shooting or stabbing someone in the heart, would be considered first degree murder, as the offender deliberately acted with malice aforethought, and therefore intended to kill the victim. Second degree murder is a homicide in which, the person did not intend to kill the victim, but still wanted to hurt…

    • 716 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    (Houston, Texas) CarInsuranceComparison.com released a graphic in 2016 showing the ten worst states in terms of driving under the influence. Fortunately, Texas did not rank in the top ten, but individuals shouldn't get too excited. The state came in 14th in the nation in terms of the prevalence of drunk driving. The study took into account factors such as the number of DUI arrests, the quantity of DUI laws, the number of penalties associated with a conviction for DUI and the cost per fatality, along with others. Individuals who are charged with and convicted of driving under the influence face numerous penalties, even those for whom it is a first offense. For this reason, anyone arrested for this crime need to speak to…

    • 663 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Drunk Driving Satire

    • 406 Words
    • 2 Pages

    If you are depressed, and no medicines are working for you, alcohol just might be the way out. If you need something to do, getting drunk just might be the solution. Bored? I heard being drunk makes everything just a little more flashy. How about a challenge? The way alcohol really blurs your vision, when driving can really spice up your driving life. If at first you don’t succeed – try, try, and try again. After all, practice makes perfect! Recently, more and more drivers have discovered the joys of drunk driving. However, research indicates that consumption of alcohol while driving can lead to victimization of these innocent drivers. Sober drivers who can think clearly and make logical decisions are the leading cause of death for America’s drunk drivers. Thus, sober driving should be made illegal and drunk driving mandatory.…

    • 406 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Not many have thought this, problem drunk driving is really getting big. “During the late 1960’s and early 1970’s, more than 50,000 people lost their lives each year on the nation’s public roads and highways, and more than half of the drivers killed had been drinking”(Jasper 17). “Drunken driving accidents can happen…

    • 696 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Drinking and Driving

    • 459 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Those injured and killed in drunk driving collisions are not accident victims. The crashes caused by impaired drivers involve two choices: to drink AND to drive. The injuries and deaths sustained each year by drunk driving can be prevented. Those who choose to drive while impaired, have been informed of the dangers, however, decide to ignore the harsh facts. They will eventually end up facing injury or death to themselves or, even worse, someone else. This is a reality some choose to ignore until they are forced to live or die along with the consequences.…

    • 459 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Drinking while driving is very well know around the United States. Drivers license should be lost and suspended for a year if caught drinking while driving. It is a dangerous habit to get into and people should not get away with it. Drinking while driving is dangerous to the public and has very serious effects who drinks. Why Should a problem like this be dealt with? This is very dangerous to those around and people could get seriously hurt from this. It’s not right that people get hurt and injured from car accident because people think it’s ok to drink and drive. Teens are some of the numbered people that are drinking and driving. An example would be a boy by the name of Ethan Couch was son of a multimillionaire was drinking, and driving and crashed into a disabled…

    • 1384 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays