CLN4UI Grade 12 Law – Course Bonus Activity
Outline an essay based on your summative topic.
1.)Choose a thesis
- The thesis can be based on your case but does not have to be about the particulars of that case
- IE If your case was about OJ Simpson, your thesis could be about how evidence is handled, that civil trials should affect criminal trials etc.
2.)Outline an introduction
- This can be done in point form
3.)Create 3 Body Paragraphs of Evidence
- This can be done in point form, outlining what you “would” say if you had written a full essay
- The evidence in your paragraph needs to support your thesis
- Use specific examples that you researched for your presentation (IE facts, data etc.)
- Each paragraph should be organized around “like” or “similar” information
4.)Outline a conclusion
- This can be done in point form as well
Topic
-Double Jeopardy and Murder
Thesis
-Double Jeopardy laws should not protect people from murder charges when substantial evidence is discovered after a trial
Introduction Paragraph
-Introduce David Hume case in England (1949)
-Hume murdered his wife; 8 years later after being found not guilty sold his story and profited from it
-Could not be convicted because of double jeopardy laws
-Fifth Amendment Clause in the U.S. Constitution protects people from double jeopardy
-Double Jeopardy should not protect people from murder charges if substantial evidence is brought to light after the trial
Body Paragraph 1 Evidence and Information
-2004: Isaac Turnbaugh was acquitted of killing Declan Lyons
-Turnbaugh and Lyons were in a property dispute outside their home
-Turnbaugh shot Lyons in the head with a rifle
-At the trial, Turnbaugh was found not guilty of second degree murder
-2011: Turnbaugh called the police and admitted he killed Lyons several times
-Because of the double jeopardy laws, Turnbaugh could not be re-convicted
-Police wrote off his confession and said it was due to him being mentally unstable
-This illustrates the need for murder to be exempt from double jeopardy laws in the United States
Body Paragraph 2 Evidence and Information
-United Kingdom fully repealed their double jeopardy law in 2005
-Led to the first ever murder conviction after a conviction
-2002: Mario Celaire was acquitted of murdering his ex-girlfriend Cassandra McDermont
-2007: Celaire admitted to his then girlfriend Kara Hoyte that he did indeed murder his previous girlfriend
-Because of the repeal of the UK law, prosecutors were able to retry Celaire and found him guilty
-Second case: Gary Dobson was convicted of murdering Stephan Lawrence 19 years after being acquitted of the crime
-Judge determined that there was “sufficient and reliable new evidence to quash the acquittal and order a new trial.”
-As a result of these convictions, it is evident that double jeopardy laws should be exempted from murder convictions.
-The UK changed their laws in 2005 and have put dangerous killers behind bars who would have otherwise gone free.
Body Paragraph 3 Evidence and Information
-Best example of why the double jeopardy law should be changed: Casey Anthony
-Anthony was found not guilty of murdering her daughter Caylee in 2011
-Public outrage at the outcome of the trial; claims that jurors were biased because of the media influence
-New evidence was brought forward afterwards that could have sealed a conviction
-Trial judge Belvin Perry admitted after the case that “there was probably enough evidence to convict Anthony when taken out of context of the media frenzy.”
-Anthony’s behavior indicated that she was “flaunting” her “victory” over the case after the trials conclusion
Concluding Paragraph
-No person should walk free when they have taken the life of another human being
-Double jeopardy laws should not be used to shield those who have committed murder
-As a result of cases like Casey Anthony, Mario Celaire and IssacTurnbaugh, double jeopardy laws should not apply if new evidence emerges during murder trials