Gardner a 16-year-old accused of murdering two people by intentionally crashing her car into them stands trial in the juvenile court system. Police say Gardner stole a Chevy Tahoe from her parents’ home in Layton on June 29. She later told officers she had been on her way to meet a 17-year-old friend in Roy and was planning on “purchasing drugs, taking the drugs, and then crashing her mother’s car with both of them inside in an attempt to kill themselves,” charging documents state.
She was fleeing from an officer who tried to pull her over when she slammed into the back of another car while going almost 100 mph, killing the occupants of the other vehicle (Links to an external site.), 20-year-old Maddison Haan of West Point and 19-year-old Tyler Christianson of Ogden. The crash occurred about 1:10 a.m. on June 30 (Links to an external site.) in Roy near the intersection of 3500 West and 6000 South.
Gardner is also charged with failing to stop at the command of an officer and failure to remain at the scene of an accident involving death, third-degree felonies.
Gardner had no history in juvenile court prior to the crash. Charges indicate the teen had been suicidal in the past, had a history of running away from home and was hospitalized for treatment shortly before the incident.
Discuss the elements of the crimes, and Gardner’s criminal capacity? What are the possible defenses to this crime?
**Your response must be a minimum of 3 pages double spaced**
Grading Rubric:
1. Discussion of the elements of A crime 10 Points
2. Discussion of the elements of Gardner’s crime 10 Points
3. Discussion of Gardner’s criminal capacity 10 Points
4. Discussion of possible defensed to Gardner’s crimes 10 Points
5. Display of analytical and critical thinking skills 5 Points
5. Overall readability and organization 5 Points
Additional Info from Syllabus-
Case Review.
This is an analysis of a self-selected current criminal case in the news. Again, this is an analysis and not a summary and it must be related to one of the topics discussed during the semester. Things to discuss include, the alleged crime committed, the elements of the crime, the applicable law, the defenses available to the accused, evidence available to law enforcement, the applicable procedure, and your opinion on the case- whether or not the evidence is enough to get a conviction or an acquittal.