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State v. Stu Dents Case

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Institution

State v. Stu Dents Case

Introduction The following paper, will seek to analyze the State v. Stu Dents case. In that particular case, the defendant has been found guilty of several offences. Some of which include homicide, kidnapping, burglary, assaulting a police officer and crimes related to drugs. The defendant committed the crimes out of his will. From the evidence, the crimes were well thought out and followed a matriculated plan. Some of the evidence found at the defendant apartment suggests that the cold blood murder of Uma Opee was premeditated. The crime seems to have been prepared almost five to six months in advance. Some of the evidence retrieved from Stu Dents house includes over three hundred photos of the victim as well as a love letter from Stu Dents to the victim. Subsequently, the defendant had also indicated that he would procure rags, hunting knife and a rope that would help him fulfill his destiny. Such information shows that Dents is a threat to the society and himself. It seems that Dents is a habitual drug user and a murderer. The defendant killed an innocent woman in the most brutal way possible. Surprisingly, Dents wanted to tamper with the evidence by attempting to hide all of the evidence. That was a move to avoid being caught. Homicide In this case, the charge of homicide was instigated due to items and evidence of murder were retrieved from the site of murder by detectives. When Dents apartment was searched, the inspector found a journal that had entries that were initiated six months prior to the killing. In the journal, the defendant had discussed the procurement of a rope, rags and sharp hunting knife that would help him execute his mission. Also, the detectives obtained jewellery that belonged to Uma Opee. The victim wore the ring on a daily basis. The last item that linked Dents to the murder was an ecstasy pill that was obtained from Uma Opee’s residence. The same pill was found at Stu Dents apartment. Additionally, there were traces of Dents DNA in Uma Opees body that suggested the defendant was responsible for stabbing her thirteen times. Injuries sustained led to her death. In the State of South Carolina, homicide has been defined under Code of Laws Section 16-3-5 (Anderson & Heaton, 2012). The term homicide has been defined as bodily injury that results in the demise of the victim. The culprit is responsible for the victim's demise and should be prosecuted for a homicide offence. Kidnapping In criminal law, the term kidnapping is defined as the unlawful acquisition of a person against his or her will (Paoli, 2013). In the case, it is clear that Dents had held Uma Opee against her will in his apartment. Dents have forcefully taken Uma Opee from her house and took her to his apartment where he had taken her hostage. On top of that, Dents had tied Uma Opee with a rope. It simply showed some signs of resistance to the victim who was trying to reject her kidnapping. Taking Uma Opee to a different location also revealed that she was being kidnapped. Kidnapping is a criminal offence whereby the culprit should face a trial. In this case, Dents faces a kidnapping crime. Burglary Burglary is also referred to as breaking or housebreaking (Paoli, 2013). It is the unlawful entry into someone else building with the motives of committing an offence. In the state of Florida, a burglary occurs when a person forcefully enters another person’s premises with the aims of having committed a felony. In Florida, burglary can be classified as third, second or even first-degree felony that is punishable in the court of justice. In this case, Dents broke into Uma Opees residence and kidnapped her committing a crime on top of another crime. Crimes related to drugs In the case, Dent’s apartment had several ecstasy pills that are used to stimulate the body. Besides, cocaine and methamphetamine were also retrieved. That portrays Dent as a hard-core drug user. In the federal laws, usage of hard drugs such as cocaine is illegal. Assaulting a police officer When the police apprehended Stu Dents, he punched one of the officers in the face. Moreover, he was very irrational, agitated and combative. The defendant screamed and yelled as the officers were taking him into police custody (Elliott, 2014). In the United States, assaulting an officer is a criminal offence classified a class A misdemeanor that attracts a federal trial. In conclusion, given that Stu Dents committed all these felonies out of his will, the State should not spare him at all. Instead, he should be prosecuted and serve his sentence.

References

Anderson, J. M., & Heaton, P. (2012). Document Title: Measuring the Effect of Defense Counsel on Homicide Case Outcomes, Executive Summary.

Elliott, E. (2014). Criminal law: Law and order: The expansion of arrest powers.

Paoli, L. (2013). Organized crime and risk assessment: from threat to harm?. status: published.