Killing in self-defense

Killing in self-defense
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Shooting and killing a person in his sleep can't possibly be deemed as self-defense? Or can it?

It most definitely can, as the case below from Texas - where a girl is cleared by a jury - clearly indicates. The girl was 12 at the time and shot her own father to death while he was sleeping.

I can remember a similar case here in Norway where a youth shot his abusive father to death with a shotgun, while the father was asleep. He was freed by the court on the grounds of self-defense, just like the girl here.

One of the commentators in the case here also gives a reference to another similar case of someone being cleared of murder.

Jurors Monday decided a teenage Katy girl accused of fatally shooting her father was not guilty of murder because she acted in self-defense. Mark A. Nelson, 38, died in April 2009. His daughter, who was 12 at the time, was accused of shooting Nelson in the back of his head as he lay in bed.

I'm positive you will have some viewpoints about this, right? Is it totally wrong to free someone who have shot and killed a sleeping person, or may it indeed be cases where this will be justifiable self-defense in your opinion.

Car safety

More than once I can't help but wonder where some people have their brains. Like this quote from a seminar in Scotland about car safety: Driving And Self-Defence.

"The most simple, and effective, tip is something I had never thought of, which is always to lock your car door when driving under 20mph. AcciDON'T estimates that more than 90% of car-jackings and smash-and-grabs can be avoided in this way."

Boy, of boy, where is one to begin...
Never thought of locking your car door...

I think I better go to sleep and let that one sink in!

Source

More "stunning" self-defense

This story is a confirmation of something I already knew after working in a security psychiatric ward: That there are some strange individuals out there.

It also taught me that I'm far crazier than I thought, but that's an issue for another day :-)

Anyhow, in this scenario we have a couple of issues. One is that we either have a really violent husband using a 600,000 volt stun-gun - or a drunk wife that obviously scares her man. Possibly both.

Personally I'll go along with the court that sentenced the man to 40 years in jail.

On a side note, I've learned never to trust a media report 100%.

Another issue is that when you have weapons lying around, it's easy to use them. I've seen it time and time again: people will grab anything - premeditated or not - and use it in a fight. Stones, sticks, knives, bottles, guns, road-signs, forks, ashtrays, TV-sets, lampshades, glasses, tables, chairs... You name it!

Many people arm themselves with things such as knives for "self-defense" and end up being convicted for using it (or carrying it). If your an adult who are trained in it's use, prepared for the consequences and risks involved, and who's allowed to carry it - by all means go ahead. If not - don't! Things escalate very, very fast...

Sensational Quebec murder case

There has also been cases here in Norway - one that I recall where a boy was acquitted for killing his abusive father with a shot-gun as the father was sleeping. The defense was built on self-defense.

"Canada -- A Quebec woman who shot her husband dead while he slept is hoping the Supreme Court of Canada will uphold her acquittal by a lower court, partly on the grounds that she was in a robotic state when she pulled the trigger. "

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