Essay about Roper V Simmons

Investigator Sam Reilly will also be called to testify, in that he was the first investigator on the scene. Shortly after the murder, Officer Reilly went to the defendant’s home at 2435 Damen Street, apt #2B and forced down Mr. John Hudsons’ and Dale Buckner’s door. While at the apartment, Officer Reilly Recovered a .38 revolver (matching the gun from the crime scene), a black leather jacket, and a newly registered Black Cadillac Sedan; which matched the description of the getaway car. Due to officer Reilly’s work, pertinent details of the defendant’s background and belongings have been brought to trial and will help us prove that the defendants did, beyond a reasonable doubt murder, and assist in murdering Mrs. Sara Lazar. Upon arrest, the defendant’s both refused to make a statement concerning the killing of Mrs. Lazar.

In Missouri during 1993, Christopher Simmons, a 17-year old, committed capital murder after he instigated two other juveniles (Benjamin and Tessmer) to conspire to kidnap and murder an innocent woman named Shirley Crook. It was never completely determined why exactly Simmons wished to murder Crook, however, he did later admit that Crook was involved in a previous car accident with Simmons. At approximately 2 a.m. on the night of the murder, Simmons and his two friends met up to break into the home of Crook, but Tessmer left before Simmons and Benjamin decided to go through with the heinous crime. Simmons and Benjamin broke into the home of Crook, entered her room, covered her eyes and mouth using duct tape, and bound her hands together. The

Christopher Simmons was charged with burglary and the murder of Shirley Crook. He and his two friends plotted to break into her home rob and murder her. One of his friends decided not to go through with the plot, but his other friend helped. They went in the middle of the night into her home bound her and threw her over the bridge. At trial with the evidence, videotaped confession from Simmons, and the testimony against him from his friend proving that it was a premeditated plan the jury recommended a death sentence. He appealed his case with counsel and felt his past history of a clean record and his troubled background should have been a factor in the sentencing. Simmons’s case worked its way to the courts and it was eventually overturned. According to Birckhead (2008), “With its decision in Roper v. Simmons,11 invalidating the imposition of the death penalty on offenders who were younger than eighteen when their crimes were committed,12 the Court has, perhaps, heralded yet another shift in the perspective of the legal system-and the culture at large-towards adolescents who commit crimes”(p.389). The Supreme Court ruled that the punishment now violates the Eighth Amendment 's prohibition of cruel and unusual punishment. Thus, they sentenced Simmons to life imprisonment without parole.

1) What were the legal issues in this case? What did the appeals court decide?

"A. Okay, he lifted his hand over his head maybe to strike Michael's hand down or something and then he put his hands in his . . . put his right hand in his right pocket . . . took a step back . . . Michael proceeded to stab him . . . then his hands were like . . . how do you explain this . . . open arms . . . with his hands open and he fell down . . . and we ran (describing subject holding hands open, palms toward assailant).

A landmark case in United States Law and the basis for the exercise of judicial review in the United States,

Dred Scott was born a slave in the state of Virginia around the 1800's. Around 1833 he was purchased from his original owner, Peter Blow, by John Emerson, an officer in the United States Army. Dr. Emerson took Dred Scott to the free state of Illinois to live, and under it's constitution, he was eligible to be free. In around 1836, Dred Scott and his owner moved to Wisconsin territory, a territory that was free under the Missouri compromise. It was in Wisconsin that Dred Scott met and married Harriet Robinson. John Emerson was transferred in 1837 to Ft. Jessup, Louisiana, were he met and married Irene Sandford. Dred Scott and his wife followed Dr. Emerson and his wife from duty station to duty station;

At nine AM a monday morning, John Lee was discovered dead in the CCA Lab Prep room by Professor Allan. What makes John Lees death even more surprising is that no fingerprints were found, but luckily fiber and biological evidence was found at the crime scene. Other than the fiber and the biological evidence that were found at the crime scene, the license and registration information of the vehicles that were at the CCA campus the night of the murder where determined. At the moment there were five suspects, that could have been the murders of John. These suspects include Brandy Smith, Sergio Jones, Bill Apple, Ann Smith, and Amanda Martinez. Brandy Smith alibis would be the Harkin employee that remembers seeing Brandy crying at the end of the

Duane Buck, a death row inmate, has served more than twenty one years for murdering his ex-girlfriend Debra Gardner and Kenneth Butler. He accused Kenneth for sleeping with Debra and also shot his stepsister in the chest, who survived. After shooting Kenneth, Gardner ran to the street and was chased until she was gunned down while her children watched. Even though the crime should be punished, bucks attorneys argue Mr. Buck was denied a fair trial. Walter Quijano, a psychologist, gave his testimony during the trial stating that Buck was more likely to be a future danger because of his racial color. What surprises everyone is that Buck’s defense lawyer was the one who called Quijano and evoke the testimony. Even though the racial testimony had no place in the trial it still didn’t justify whether they should throw out the death sentence. No racial testimony appeared to be in his early appeals due to his counsel’s impotence for introducing it. Still it was very believable because this was not the first case Quijano made a similar testimony that had violated an inmate’s constitutional rights. Bucks lawyers tried to use this information to fight for Buck but they were not successful because the courts ruled Buck had waited too long to raise the issue. The argument here is if Buck is

Supreme Court Case Sheppard V. Maxwell is the first case in American history to question whether the American right to a fair trial should be interrupted by the American right to freely publish one’s thoughts and opinions. Sheppard’s conviction, brought on by the biased eye of the press, was exonerated. However, concluded from the lack of policy alterations post-trial, the Sheppard V. Maxwell case still informally decided media is no real threat in the court system. Some may say otherwise. Although media may not directly affect court rulings, the press can certainly affect the public’s opinion, which in turn can affect a court case.

The Buck v. Bell case began when Carrie Buck was seventeen and claimed that she was raped by J.T. and Alice Dobbs son and turn out to be pregnant. So when that happened a test revealed that Carrie had da mind of a nine year old which was consider being feeblemindedness. Her mother was also tested and considered to be feeblemindedness because her test revealed that she had the mind of an eight year old. Carrie and her mother were sent to the Colony for the Epileptic and Feebleminded (Buck v. Bell, 2006).

He was found lying on the couch with blood on his shirt. In this case, his wife was murdered as well. She was murdered in the bedroom by several hits in the back of the head. The back of her head was hit nineteen times. In conclusion, the bodies were so damaged that they were at first unrecognizable.

This essay is about the supreme court case between Gregory Lee Johnson and the state of Texas. Johnson burned an American flag in public and was arrested. This action was against Texas law. Johnson argued that this was a form of speech which is protected by the first amendment. The content of this essay will consist of the case, the arguments of the case, and the precedent cases.

On the night of June 4,1989 in St. Louis Missouri. Daryl Burton was accused of the murder of Donald Ball, who was shot in the parking lot of Amoco gas station in St. Louis while filling up his gas tank. It was stated that the gunman chased Ball around the parking lot and shot him several times before fleeing the scene. Ultimately authorities arrested Burton and, the state charged him with capital murder and armed criminal action, the only evidence implicating Burton to the crime was two eyewitnesses; Claudex Simmons and Eddie Walker, whom testified against Burton identifying him as the gunman. Simmons testimony changed and was inconsistent with statements in police reports during the investigation. It was stated that Simmons testimony was

city is set out it is obvious that a strong leader who knew what he