Posted on 01/10/2008 6:49:51 PM PST by RDTF
PINEVILLE, Ky. - Two teenagers were charged with murder today after they led police on a high-speed chase in southeastern Kentucky and hit a parked sheriff's cruiser, killing the deputy and K-9 dog inside, authorities said.
"That happens so often. The bad guys walk away ... too many times," said Bell County Sheriff Bruce Bennett, pausing to brush back tears. "Of course, these are young people. But still, they are murderers now."
The driver drove away from an Exxon station in Baxter without paying for $38 worth of gas at 12:35 a.m., authorities said. Police followed the car at least 10 miles west on U.S. 119, into neighboring Bell County.
State police said two state troopers attempted to stop the speeding driver on the winding highway through the mostly rural, rugged Appalachian coal-mining region.
The teen's car veered over the center line at a slight curve in the wet two-lane road and rammed into the deputy's cruiser parked on the shoulder waiting to join the pursuit. Sheriff's Deputy Sean Pursifull, 31, and his police dog King, a 5-year-old German shepherd, were killed, authorities said.
Authorities estimated the teenagers were traveling "well over 100 miles per hour when they left the road," Bennett said.
When Bennett arrived at the scene just minutes after the crash Pursifull, whom he had known since he was a boy, was unresponsive. Still, the sheriff held the deputy's hand for a half-hour as officers worked around them.
-snip-
(Excerpt) Read more at knoxnews.com ...
I was thinking the same thing....high speed chase over $38.00? If they have the license plate number,track the perps down later...
Just the same, my heart and prayers go out to the family and colleagues of the slain officer....
“but this was not murder.”
Officer discretion aside, someone was killed during the commission of a crime. That is murder.
It wasn't just a "$38 tank of gas". These punks made it clear that they weren't about to obey pretty much any law.
You aren't? You just placed the responsibility for the officer's death on the pursuing officer.
First, the pursuing officer didn't make that little piece of excrement run, and second, if going over 100 gets the cops to stop chasing, everyone who runs from cops will know just how fast to go.
Well-made.
If they have the plate...you can't outrun the radio.
Sure. It would be manslaughter or vehicular homicide if they were sober, aggravated vehicular homicide if they were drunk.
The only thing that elevates it to murder is the fact that the victim was a cop. Stealing $38.00 shouldn't be a felony to invoke the felony murder rule.
This seems more on point.
507.020 Murder. (1) A person is guilty of murder when:
(b) Including, but not limited to, the operation of a motor vehicle under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to human life, he wantonly engages in conduct which creates a grave risk of death to another person and thereby causes the death of another person.
I withdraw my comment in Post 28. Seems to be covered by statute in Ky. See my comment at 29.
The charges will include felony eluding (of a law enforcement officer), reckless driving, reckless endangerment, speeding, possible grand theft auto, petite larceny, and at a minimum, involuntary manslaughter to voluntary manslaughter. Don’t think they can get them on premeditated murder if they didn’t deliberately aim at the police car.
However, if they are sentenced to CONSECUTIVE terms, they could be in jail for 20-40 years or more. Hopefully it will be more.
True!
How about fleeing arrest?
ah one of the famous cop haters on FR that shows up on all these threads
Not all homicides are murder.
Exactly.
You are right.
If someone is killed by a perp during the commission of a crime, legally that is murder.
If someone breaks in my house and I kill them, that is justifiable homicide, not murder.
Does it strike anyone else as strange that the title refers to the dog as a “K-9 partner”? It infers to me that the dog has equal status with the human policeman. I just found it curious.
The man's life is just as valuable as the cops nothing more nothing less, both could have been avoided if the cops had made the correct decision..
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.