Murder

1. Homicide is the killing of another human being. The difference between homicide and murder is that with murder, there is INTENT to kill another human being. Someone can be charged with homicide when there are other mitigating factors involved, for example a car accident. But when someone is charged with murder, there was homicide as well as the malicious intent.

The categories that I was able to find included: 1^st degree murder, 2^nd degree murder, 3^rd degree murder, Felony murder, manslaughter, negligent homicide, justifiable homicide, state-sanctioned homicide.

2.  In Akron, Ohio a man named Richard Beasley and a teen named Brogan Rafferty were accused of murdering 3 men. These men were lured to Beasley’s rural home by answering bogus craigslist ads. The ads were placed on craigslist as “farmhand jobs that would pay $300 a week”.

A fourth victim, 49 year old Scott Davis actually survived the ordeal. He had heard Beasley click the gun and then realized that he was in danger, he ran and hid in the woods and was able to get a hold of police at a nearby house. Davis testified against Beasley in court. Beasley was found guilty of 1^st degree murder and faces the death penalty. His accomplice, Rafferty who is now 18 years old was found guilty of 1^st degree murder and since he is not able to face the death penalty, was sentenced to life in prison without the chance of parole.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/11/us-usa-crime-craigslist-idUSBRE92A11N20130311

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-57575610-504083/craigslist-murder-case-ohio-jury-recommends-death-penalty-for-richard-beasley/

The victims are portrayed as innocent men who were in need of a job. The offender of course is portrayed in a bad light. The prosecutor said that Beasley was a “master manipulator” who preyed on people who were “easy targets and desperate for a better life”. The killings are discussed by the media but honestly they aren’t as dramatic as some of the other’s I have read about.

3. This man, Mark Mullan is convicted of vehicular homicide and assault charges for killing 2 and injuring 2 in a car crash. This is considered homicide because he did not set out to kill people as in murder but I believe the assault charges are attached because of his blood alcohol level.

 http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/vehicular-homicide-assault-charges-filed-in-seattle-crash-that-killed-2-injured-mom-and-baby/2013/03/28/0a55e04e-9804-11e2-b5b4-b63027b499de_story.html

 I wanted to find something that had to deal with my hometown of Orlando, Florida so I found the recent case of Timothy Davis, a retired Orlando police officer who was on trial for shooting and killing his 22 year old son. He was acquitted of all charges today (March 30^th) just before 6:00pm.

http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2013-02-14/news/os-timothy-davis-trial-verdict-opd-murder-20130214_1_timothy-davis-tarsha-davis-second-degree-murder

Mob Violence

1. Mob violence is a disturbance of the peace by several persons, assembled and acting with a common intent in executing a lawful or unlawful enterprise in a violent and turbulent matter. A couple of examples could be riots, and picketing or strikes. I believe that this type of violence exists because generally, a point wants to be made and the group all have a common goal that they want to reach. Whether it be a law changed, or pay raises, the mob believes that they are more powerful as a group than as individuals.

2.  In 1966 from July 18^th to July 23^rd, the Hough Riots took place in a predominantly African American community of Hough in Cleveland, Ohio. The riots caused 30 people to be critically injured and sadly 4 African Americans were killed as well. In the end there were a total of 275 arrests made and more than 240 fires reported. It all started at a bar where blacks were not being served. Eventually a group of African Americans gathered outside, more and more people started to join in as word got around. Eventually they began chanting “black power”, throwing rocks and Molotov cocktails which caused police and firemen to come to the scene. When police arrived the violence intensified because of racial tension at the time. Gunfire started as well as brick throwing. After almost a week, heavy rains helped put an end to the violence. The riots caused people to leave the area as well as jobs. Decades of disinvestment followed these riots but since the late 1990’s there has been some redevelopment. The media explains it as both the victims and offenders being black and white but puts more emphasis on blacks being the victims rather than the offenders.

3.

1. The stonewall riot on June 28^th 1969 was caused because when police went to make their usual arrests at a gay bar, patrons didn’t cooperate or disperse as the police had planned they would. They were sick and tired of their way of life being criminalized and weren’t going to put up with it anymore. This riot eventually lead to more organized protests and a higher profile for the gay rights movement. 

http://www.forensiccolleges.net/blog/2010/10-worst-riots-in-american-history/

2. Oh March 20^th 1981 Michael Donald, a young African American man was murdered by two KKK members in Mobile, Alabama. The murder is sometimes referred to as the last recoded lynching in the united states. Basically what happened is the two KKK members who were later found to be Henry Hays (26 years old) and James Knowles (17 years old), were driving around looking for a victim, and they found Donald walking home. They kidnapped him, drove him to a secluded wooded area, attacked him, beat him with a tree limb, wrapped rope around his neck and used it to strangle him then slit his throat and hung him from a tree in front of Hays house. Eventually Hays was convicted and was put to death in the electric chair on June 6^th, 1997. Knowles however avoided the death penalty by testifying against Hays at trial and he was sentenced to life in prison.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Donald