[AnAmericanMother]

Under the long-standing legal theory of "parties to a crime" he is just as guilty as the person who actually held the knife or pulled the trigger.I believe the language is "counsels, procures, encourages, or otherwise induces another to commit a crime."

Otherwise you never get the gang leader. Masterminds having their underlings (usually minors) do their dirty work to try to avoid prosecution is nothing new. Goes back to at least 18th c. England and "The Beggar's Opera".

Pretty sure that Manson was charged under party to a crime as well as conspiracy to commit murder.

[David Chase]

That’s was an excellent explanation.

I get it now.

Thank you very much.