First Degree Murder Case Study

First degree murder was committed by Harmanpreet Kaur. Before going to kill Mrs.

Fisch, Harmanpreet Kaur drank alcohol and did cocaine. She then went to Mrs. Fisch’s address,

snuck into her bedroom window and killed her by stabbing her in the heart. Ms. Kaur stabbed her

third grade teacher in the heart three times. Ms. Kaur did her research and conducted a search

on where third grade teacher’s address was before getting intoxicated and doing cocaine. This

proves the mens rea aspect of this case. She searched Mrs. Fisch’s address beforehand because

she had planned to murder Mrs. Fisch all along. The alcohol and cocaine were not the sole

reason for this murder. Alcohol and cocaine does not make a person do things that they did not

think of doing

The death penalty is only punishment and retribution.

Revenge should not belong in the criminal justice system. There was a case of an elderly

man who was sentenced to death. Clarence Ray Allen was 76 years old. He knew he was going

to be executed. “He asked the prison authorities to let him die if he went into cardiac arrest

before his execution. Prison spokesman, Vernell Crittondon refused the request stating that at no

point are we not going to value the sanctity of life… we would resuscitate him, and then execute

him” (Salinas, 2006, 43). This type of treatment is just ridiculous. They would spend money and

resources to save him from a heart attack and then spend even more money on drugs to execute

him when he could have just died from a heart attack, which he had requested.

There are arguments that are for the death penalty and those against it. One of the

arguments for the death penalty is deterrence. Deterrence means discouraging an action with an

event or instilling fear of the consequences. Throughout history, deterrence has been used to

prevent people from committing crime by making an example out of someone. The death