[[We discussed this a lot 3 years ago when it happened.]]
Criminey- this happened three years ago? I wasn’t in on those conversations- so not familiar with the arguments made back then- it hasn’t been tried yet has it?
[[it was murder by a confrontation junky.]]
Well i still think that’s a big leap to make from a person being a confrontation junky to him committing murder intentionally-
I don’t know what the video showed- just going by what the defense lawyer stated really- He’ll have to show there wasn’t an escalation to the point where it could have been deemed the defendant didn’t ‘feel threatened’ - even ‘confrontation junkies’ have a right not to be assaulted- (IF an assault and escalation actually happened as claimed by the lawyer)
I’m not leaning any way on this - just trying to look at all sides- It is very likely it happened just as you described- and perhaps he was looking to shoot someone- but that is for a jury to determine based on the objective facts
When you deliberately and repeatedly cause confrontations with people, and you are regularly armed, everybody knows how that story is going to end eventually. It’s not necessarily per-meditated murder, but it was inevitable murder. Problem with the defendant “feeling threatened” is he started the fight, he turned it physical, the other guy was defending himself. If I push you first and you defend yourself and I start losing I don’t get to “feel threatened”, I’m the aggressor, I made YOU feel threatened.
I don’t think he was necessarily looking to shoot someone, I think he liked enforcing his authority. Of course as a retired he technically didn’t have any authority anymore. If you wander the earth starting crap eventually crap’s gonna get ugly.