The Craigslist killer and your crim pro exam
posted by Jennifer Collins
I can tell that I am deep in exam grading because when I read news updates about the Craigslist killer, instead of pondering questions like whether his girlfriend will continue to stand by him, I am focusing on all the great questions that can come out of the case for use on a crim pro exam next year. Consider the question of joinder, for example, an incredibly important issue in real-world criminal practice but a topic that, in my experience, receives relatively little attention in a typical crim pro course. Can the two Massachusetts crimes, the robbery and the robbery/murder, be joined together in a single trial? The relevant portion of Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 8(a) allows the government to charge multiple offenses together in a single indictment if they are “of the same or similar character.” Does finding your victims through the same online resource constitute enough of a similarity to make this a true signature crime? Would the evidence of the murder be so prejudicial if the robbery case were tried alone that a judge should order severance under FRCP 14? There should be some very interesting pre-trial motions when — and if — the case ultimately makes it to that stage.
May 11, 2009 at 7:22 am
Posted in: Criminal Procedure, Uncategorized
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Craigslist Killer Reax - May 11, 2009 at 12:49 pm
[...] Jennifer Collins observes, “I can tell that I am deep in exam grading because when I read news updates about the Craigslist killer, instead of pondering questions like whether his girlfriend will continue to stand by him, I am focusing on all the great questions that can come out of the case for use on a crim pro exam next year.” [...]
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