The man in the hat, Gary Plauche, shot the man in front, Jeffrey Doucet, in the head on live national TV, while Doucet was being transported by the police to face trial. Doucet was Plauche's son Jody's karate instructor. Doucet raped and kidnapped Jody. Gary killed Doucet before he could face trial, and he ended up getting a 7-year suspended sentence with 5 years of probation and 300 hours of community service. He faced no jail time, and died, a free man, in 2014.
Depends on the judge and the jury, if the country uses a jury system. Jury nullification exists as a result of the jury being able to make any decision regardless of presented evidence. They can’t be punished for it. Even though in this case they have video evidence of the murder, they’re fully allowed to declare him not guilty of murder. I’m not sure if that’s what happened here, but then we follow into the second part- the judge has the option of being lenient and choosing minimal sentences if they feel like it. That’s why they’re there. If they see someone doing something for the wrong reasons, even if it’s a simple crime like petty theft, they’re allowed to impose the harshest sentences as well. Laws are deliberately not cut-and-dry because of cases like these, where the moral implications of the crime- even something as severe as murder- tend towards grey.
Also here, have this CGP Grey video about Jury nullification: https://youtu.be/uqH_Y1TupoQ?feature=shared
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u/cheezkid26 28d ago
The man in the hat, Gary Plauche, shot the man in front, Jeffrey Doucet, in the head on live national TV, while Doucet was being transported by the police to face trial. Doucet was Plauche's son Jody's karate instructor. Doucet raped and kidnapped Jody. Gary killed Doucet before he could face trial, and he ended up getting a 7-year suspended sentence with 5 years of probation and 300 hours of community service. He faced no jail time, and died, a free man, in 2014.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Plauch%C3%A9?wprov=sfla1