NY Teen Charged with Hate Crime in Immigrant Stabbing Death

A New York city teen pleaded guilty to a gang related assault that resulted in the stabbing of a Ecuadorean immigrant.  In a plea bargain arrangement, Jose Pacheco agreed Wednesday to testify against other members of the gang who had a hand in the killing.  The victim, Marcelo Lucero, was a dry cleaner who lived [...]

Share

Military Psychiatrist Goes Ballistic

On Thursday afternoon November 5, 2009, 39-year-old Major Nidal Malik Hasan, an army psychiatrist who was awaiting deployment to Afghanistan at Fort Hood, Texas, the country’s largest military base, armed himself with two guns and opened fire on the grounds, killing 13 and injuring 38. He was brought down by two civilian officers who shot [...]

Share

The Death Penalty Is Dead Wrong

One hot-button issue of criminal law is the imposition of the death penalty. In 1972, the United States Supreme Court basically banned the death penalty as a violation of the Constitution’s 8th Amendment that prohibits cruel and unusual punishment. Four years later, however, the Supreme Court held that the death penalty is constitutional when applied [...]

Share