HOWARD COUNTY, Md. (WJLA) — On March 29, 1982, Laney Lee McGadney, a 28-year-old mother of four, left her home in Columbia, Maryland to walk to a grocery store.
As she walked along Oakland Mills Road, witnesses saw a man kidnap her. Her body was found later that day in a vacant lot, now known as Water Lily Way, according to a news release from Howard County Police.
Ya know for some unknown reason I think I remember reading or hearing about that. I started reading and thought, she had kids. Then I read a mother of four.
The prosecutor chooses what crime(s) will be charged based on the evidence. The basic charge is homicide (killing someone). The detailed charges are how the evidence / act fits the laws of that State, and charging multiple levels for the same act allows for conviction even if one element of first degree murder is not proven, such as prior intent. This is also called charging a "lesser included act". John in Indy
Some years ago, I worked a case (as a Medical Examiner) where a young lady was abducted at a coin car wash in broad daylight with about 50 people watching. She was later found dead. When the police asked the onlookers why they didn't step in, the answer was that they thought it was a domestic dispute and they didn't feel they had the right to intervene. There have been a couple of studies that looked at why people don't get involved in these kinds of things. Fear of injury is always fairly low on the list.
The primary reason is often social inhibition -- that people don't think they have "permission" to get involved. People are less likely to intervene when there are multiple onlookers (the technical term is "diffusion of responsibility") because of this inhibitory effect. What it does, in effect, is increases the ambiguity of the event, which makes people unsure whether or not they *should* intervene. This is true even for non-criminal events. For instance, in one study, subjects were presented with someone who acted as if they had a sudden asthma attack. People in groups of two reacted more quickly than people who were in groups of four. People are more likely to intervene when they are certain there is immediate danger -- because it is less ambiguous. They are more likely to intervene, for instance, if someone is getting beaten, commpared to a seizure or an abduction (which can be ambiguous). There are also some social issues depending on status and assumptions about the victims and perpetrators. For instance, in the two- and four-person study, victims of high perceived status were aided more slowly than persons of low status in the four-person group (but not the two-person group). Women are more likely to receive aid than men. People who are perceived to be ill are more likely to receive aid than those who appear drunk. Community variables (stability, neighborliness, size, etc) can effect it; in particular, it effects whether people attempt formal (calling the police) versus informal (pulling the attacker off) intervention. Location can have an effect; for instance, diffusion of responsibility effect is lessened in places like subways.
BLM's got nothing to do with it. There isn't a statute of limitations for murder. TV detectives have been using that line for as far back as I remember (and I remember back to Dragnet and Adam-12).
Ya know for some unknown reason I think I remember reading or hearing about that. I started reading and thought, she had kids. Then I read a mother of four.
ReplyDeleteSorry pal. There's no statutes of limitations. They were all torn down by Black Lives Matter.
ReplyDeleteThere has never been a statue of limitation for murder.
DeleteCan someone explain this to me:
DeleteBradberry has been charged with first- and second-degree murder,...
how can one murder generate two murder charges?
The prosecutor chooses what crime(s) will be charged based on the evidence. The basic charge is homicide (killing someone). The detailed charges are how the evidence / act fits the laws of that State, and charging multiple levels for the same act allows for conviction even if one element of first degree murder is not proven, such as prior intent.
DeleteThis is also called charging a "lesser included act".
John in Indy
Witnesses saw a man kidnap her, but no one did anything? We do have a responsibility to look out for each other.
ReplyDeleteSome years ago, I worked a case (as a Medical Examiner) where a young lady was abducted at a coin car wash in broad daylight with about 50 people watching. She was later found dead. When the police asked the onlookers why they didn't step in, the answer was that they thought it was a domestic dispute and they didn't feel they had the right to intervene. There have been a couple of studies that looked at why people don't get involved in these kinds of things. Fear of injury is always fairly low on the list.
DeleteThe primary reason is often social inhibition -- that people don't think they have "permission" to get involved. People are less likely to intervene when there are multiple onlookers (the technical term is "diffusion of responsibility") because of this inhibitory effect. What it does, in effect, is increases the ambiguity of the event, which makes people unsure whether or not they *should* intervene. This is true even for non-criminal events. For instance, in one study, subjects were presented with someone who acted as if they had a sudden asthma attack. People in groups of two reacted more quickly than people who were in groups of four. People are more likely to intervene when they are certain there is immediate danger -- because it is less ambiguous. They are more likely to intervene, for instance, if someone is getting beaten, commpared to a seizure or an abduction (which can be ambiguous). There are also some social issues depending on status and assumptions about the victims and perpetrators. For instance, in the two- and four-person study, victims of high perceived status were aided more slowly than persons of low status in the four-person group (but not the two-person group). Women are more likely to receive aid than men. People who are perceived to be ill are more likely to receive aid than those who appear drunk. Community variables (stability, neighborliness, size, etc) can effect it; in particular, it effects whether people attempt formal (calling the police) versus informal (pulling the attacker off) intervention. Location can have an effect; for instance, diffusion of responsibility effect is lessened in places like subways.
BLM's got nothing to do with it. There isn't a statute of limitations for murder. TV detectives have been using that line for as far back as I remember (and I remember back to Dragnet and Adam-12).
ReplyDelete