First degree murder is a premeditated crime. He had to go there with the intention of killing someone. No way this does not get overturned on appeal. I can’t believe the judge did not throw out the verdict. But maybe there is evidence I am not aware of.
[First degree murder is a premeditated crime. He had to go there with the intention of killing someone.]
I believe you are correct.
As a rule, there’s no minimum time limit for premeditation. He simply had to form the intent prior to driving into the crowd. Going there with the intention isn’t necessary.
Apparently the most damning evidence was a social media posting a few days before the incident where he claimed he was going to run over a bunch of people at the demonstration. That’s some pretty strong evidence of premeditation, I’d say.