Case Analysis

1.     Jonas is 18 and recently finished high school. He lives at home with his mom and dad. While collecting dirty laundry in his room one day, Jonas’ mother discovered some of Jonas’ clothing with dried blood on them. She also found a bloody survival knife and muddy boots under his bed, as well as a bracelet that said “Lynn.” A few days earlier, police had discovered the missing body of Jonas’ high school sweetheart, Lynn, in the woods. Lynn had recently broken up with him. The medical examiner had determined that Lynn had died from repeated stabbing. When Jonas had been questioned by the police at the station, he claimed he knew nothing of the incident, and the police have no evidence tying Jonas to the disappearance or murder. Analyze these facts using ethical concepts or concerns from Module 8. (You are not evaluating elements of murder, or due process issues for example.)

2.     District Attorney Schultz has brought charges against three players of the University football team. They have been charged with raping a stripper at a party attended by team members. The case has received much publicity and the media have discovered that the three players have a history of violence towards women. (Last year, two other women claimed they had been raped, but the cell phone video showing the forced sex had been excluded based on an illegal police search, and the players were found "not guilty.”) Shultz believes these players are guilty, and has given approximately 60 media interviews on the case. Schultz has also been campaigning for reelection, and a conviction here would go a long way. Unfortunately for Schultz, the DNA tests he ran do not match any of the three players to the victim’s assault. When he questioned her about this, the victim made contradictory statements, and she had no other evidence to corroborate the events. In fact, while her statements confirm that they raped her, she admitted to having consensual sex with two other men at the party, which weakens the case. Schultz decides to not tell anyone about the DNA results unless asked, and instructs the victim/witness to deny the other sexual encounters at trial. Analyze these facts using ethical concepts or concerns from Module 8. (You are not evaluating elements of rape or due process issues for example.) Assuming that Schultz had a strong belief that the defendants were guilty, include in your analysis whether this affects the moral and legal permissibility of his conduct.

3.     Michelle worked two jobs as a security guard in Phoenix, Arizona. She was walking outside the building where she works at 6:30 AM, Monday, when two bundles of money fell out of an armored truck en route to a bank. Inside the bundles was approximately $500,000. Michelle had an inheritance that would post to her bank account on Wednesday. She decides to take the day off and head to Las Vegas to play poker. Unfortunately, Michelle lost all of the money she gambled, but luckily, as expected, on Wednesday, her inheritance was paid. Michelle turned all of the $500,000 in to the FBI on Thursday morning, three days after finding it. Analyze these facts using ethical concepts or concerns from Module 8. (You are not evaluating elements of theft, conversion, or torts.) Include in your analysis whether Michelle was morally obligated to return the money. Should Michelle be penalized for using the money or for waiting three days to return the money?