Woman killed for attempting to leave KKK initiation

http://news.aol.com/article/police-say-woman-killed-at-kkk-rite/244978


Pretty much the stuff you'd expect from a bunch of blithering idiots. I only post this so I can point out this month's winner for Greatest Sheriff Quote.

Here are the basics:

Now, sum it up for us, St. Tammany Parish Sheriff Jack Strain:

 

Nice quote by the sheriff. Don't let the hoods or burning crosses fool you. Beneath the robes, they're nothing but big, cuddly, white bears.

 

"She died doing what she hated."

 

I wonder if he voted for Obama.

 

How is this second-degree and not first?

 

Depends on the state -- in some states first-degree murder may be limited to law enforcement or other officials.

 

not really appropriate for the thread... or is it?

 

When I was in my early 20s, I attended a Catholic seminary near Covington. The priests and monks (and students) said there was an ambulance company in the area that wouldn't respond to calls at the monastery or seminary because there was a strong Klan thread (and anti-Catholic sentiment) running through the company, so people on the campus of the seminary had to learn what ambulance company to call in case of an emergency. Usually, it was one located a greater distance from the grounds, which of course means a longer response time.

The seminary rests inside 1,200 acres or so of woods. When someone told that story to me at night, it was as creepy as you would imagine.

 

First degree is usually defined as premeditated, e.g. lying in wait until the victim appears. Second degree is when its somewhat in the heat of the moment, e.g. you start out with a discussion then get pissed and shoot.

 

I don't know about your neck of the woods qt, but in the part of the world I'm from, premeditation only takes a split second. Basically it's lack of provocation. Lying in wait, or the like, might help prove it, but it is not necessary.

I looked Louisiana code up though and, of course, it uses a different delineation between first- and second-degree murder than what most of the rest of the states use. To get to first-degree murder in Louisiana you have to also meet one of 9 circumstances beyond specific intent to kill or harm. Those include the victim being a police officer, being particularly young or old, or done during the commission of another crime (the specific qualifying crimes are all spelled out.)