Felony Murder Law

1375 Words3 Pages

The Felony Murder Law of Colorado states that a person is guilty of first degree murder if he or she participates in, or is fleeing from, some other crime and a death results, intended or not2. This statute is the reason a 21 year old Colorado resident, Lisl Auman, was sentenced to life in prison without parole at the Colorado Women's Correctional Facility3. This case has drawn national attention and while appealing her conviction, has gained support from actors Sean Penn, Benecio Del Torro and Johnny Depp and the late writer Hunter S. Thompson. Lisl Auman was convicted of felony murder for her part in an alleged burglary that resulted in the death of a Denver police officer on November 12, 19972. One week before the alleged burglary in Buffalo Creek, Colorado, Auman learned that her boyfriend, Shawn Cheever, decided to end the relationship. Auman still had a few possessions that remained at her ex-boyfriends residence that she wished to obtain. The night of November 11, 1997, Auman and her close friend Demetria Soriano, were at Soriano's apartment with her boyfriend, Dion Gerze, and his friends, Matthew Jaehnig and Stephen Duprey2. Claiming Cheever had mistreated her, Auman convinced her new friends to help her retrieve some of her belongings from Cheever's residence2. At noon of the alleged day of the burglary, the group headed to Cheever's apartment and Auman rode alone with Jaehnig in his later found to be stolen Trans Am2. From the passenger's seat, a shotgun and two assault rifles were visible in the car. Cheever was at work during the alleged burglary, so bolt cutters were used to gain access to his residence. Auman's items were removed from the residence, along with some of Cheever's personal property. As ... ... middle of paper ... ...eversed and remanded back to the trial courts. One drawback to the court systems that is evident in this case is the length of time required to reach the state Supreme Court. The Supreme Court decision occurred almost seven years after the trial started, only to be sent back to the trial process. Bibliography 1) Beatty, Jeffery and Samuelson, Susan. Legal Environment, 2nd Ed. Thomson: Southwestern West, 2005. 2) Colorado Supreme Court Ruling. Retrieved on March 27, 2005 from http://www.lisl.com/caseupdate.htm 3) Kass, Jeff. Weighing the Scales of Justice. The Rocky Mountain News. Retrieved on March 27, 2005 from http://www.insidedenver.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_148006,00.html

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