| This thread has been locked, it will not receive new replies. |
|
Locked on 10/17/2025 12:20:13 PM PDT by Admin Moderator, reason:
Search still works |
Posted on 10/17/2025 11:42:52 AM PDT by Morgana
A staffer at a Massachusetts school died after allegedly being kicked in the chest by a teenage girl.
Amy Morrell, 53, was assaulted by a 14-year-old student at Meadowridge Academy in Swansea on Wednesday evening, authorities said.
The teenager was trying to leave a dorm building without permission when the altercation occurred around 6.55pm, according to the Bristol County District Attorney's Office.
Morrell was trying to restrain the girl, per investigators, only to receive a kick to the chest that proved to be a fatal blow.
The staffer collapsed shortly after she was assaulted.
School staff immediately began CPR and called 911.
Morrell was rushed to a local hospital overnight and pronounced dead Thursday afternoon, the Bristol County District Attorney's office said.
Andrew Ferruche, a family friend who considered Morrell a relative, told WCVB: 'It never crossed my mind. Never thought of it. I couldn't believe it when I got the call today.'
He described her death as a 'horrible accident.'
Ferruche said: 'You get in a fight, you don't think you're going to hit somebody and they're going to die right there - especially if you're a kid.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
Harry Potter breaks bad.
Andrew is an idiot. No accident, that.
I don't know the classifications in Massachusetts, but most places that would be second degree murder.
Shaniqua.
Involuntary manslaughter, plus other possible charges depending on the accused’s conduct leading up to the incident.
At least that is what it should be.
Is it Them Again, Yogi?
“Meadowridge Academy is a therapeutic residential school providing comprehensive treatment to youth and young adults with mental health issues, behavioral difficulties, and complex trauma histories.”
So this is one of those schools for messed up kids?
Second degree murder is basically a charge where you intended harm but you weren’t intending to kill but you just didn’t care in the moment.
It’s probably going to be some variant of involuntary manslaughter. That’s far more provable.
“Second degree murder is basically a charge where you intended harm but you weren’t intending to kill but you just didn’t care in the moment.”
NOPE!
Mental institutions do have the right to “soft” restrain a resident. And they are well trained in how to do this correctly. My Daughter and Son in Law worked for decades in a Behavioral Health care center. The Son in Law still works there. About 25% of the residents are younger with mental health problems. The other 75% are older folks who have dementia or Alzheimer’s.
The Resident care contracts are pretty cut and dried as to whether the resident can be physically restrained or not in a harmless way. Either the County/State legal system or family grants authority on an individual basis. The problem is liability for the facility. If that resident goes out in public and causes harm to themselves or others that facility is legally liable.
So if the resident’s contract gives authority then they have to make an effort to do it if they can do it without injury to the resident or themselves. Ironically it is the older folks who physically beat up staff trying to get out several times a week. But my kids get beat up doing their job at least a couple times a month.
They have been stabbed with butter knives, forks, spoons... Hit over the head with heavy objects. Physically beat with fists, elbows, knees, kicked, and bitten... Thing is it goes with the job. You are well warned when you sign the hire on contract that it is indeed part of the job and it may happen.
Yep.
Colloquially, **second-degree murder** is when someone kills another person without planning it ahead of time, but with a reckless or intentional act that shows they didn’t care about the serious harm they could cause. It’s not as calculated as first-degree murder (which involves premeditation, like plotting a killing), but it’s worse than manslaughter because there’s still some level of intent or extreme disregard for life.
Think of it like this: if someone gets so angry they swing a baseball bat at another person’s head, not specifically trying to kill them but knowing it could be deadly, and the person dies—that’s often second-degree murder. It’s the “you knew this could end badly but did it anyway” charge. For example, in the case of a student beating a teacher over a confiscated gaming system, if the student kept attacking viciously, aware the blows could kill, a prosecutor might argue second-degree murder instead of manslaughter.
First degree is planned, even if it’s just in the last ten seconds.
Second degree is unplanned, but you didn’t care about doing the diligence to ensure you didn’t kill them.
Third degree is where you take the life in the course of an action that you knew could kill but did not take the diligence to ensure that people were safe from what you were doing.
If you kick me in the chest, I’m going to consider that more than sufficient evidence that you intended me harm.
Involuntary manslaughter would be a miscarriage of justice. But if it’s a rich family, it probably won’t be prosecuted at all.
I am interested in the school - is it a high end boarding school, or a residential program for ‘troubled teens’ - that’s going to have more impact on how this gets handled than the facts of the case will. Interesting that it’s already being positioned as an ‘accident’. My guess it that there will be a financial settlement with the decedent’s estate, and the whole matter will disappear.
I have said over and over that anyone who kicks someone when they are on the ground should be charged 100% of the time with attempted murder.
The ‘youth’ will flash the race card and the crazy card.
I can appreciate that position and I can see it, but it’s also circumstantial, because we haven’t seen the video of the kick. It’s possible that this kick would not have normally killed or harmed, but due to things like the health of the teacher in question and the aware of the student of her health could affect the charge.
Was it a Bruce Lee roundhouse kick or was something that normally would not have harmed?
I’m not excusing it, but the intent displayed by the student will have an effect on the charge laid.
“Think of it like this: if someone gets so angry they swing a baseball bat at another person’s head, not specifically trying to kill them but knowing it could be deadly, and the person dies—that’s often second-degree murder.”
Second degree MURDER requires INTENT to kill. Except in cases of felony murder.
I suggest you refrain from posting opinions on the law.
I just showed you that Second degree does not intend to murder, but the death happens anyway because you didn’t care to ensure your deliberate act of harm did not kill me.
I got that straight off Grok.
Do you want a more reliable source than an AI that searches at least 25 websites before compiling an answer?
Second-Degree Murder typically includes murder with malice intent, but not premeditated.
https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/murder
“He described her death as a ‘horrible accident.’”
it was no accident, the student willfully kicked. emotions thoughts everything else is just excuses trying to negate a willful act. imo
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.