5 ms·

Those "hits" were retracted in court and not included in filing. It's unfortunate that this is still being spread.

bdcravens 5y ago
The hit charge was dropped, but only after he was sentenced with no opportunity for release. The veracity of the claim has never been proven nor disproven.
- 0xy 5y ago
  If someone isn't charged and convicted of murder, they are innocent of murder. This is the core of modern justice systems, unless you are in favor of extrajudicial witch hunts based on the testimony of checks notes corrupt federal agents who were charged and convicted themselves.
  - bdcravens 5y ago
    I agree he wasn't convicted of murder, as the charges were dismissed with prejudice. (ignoring the fact that no one was killed, so it would have been conspiracy to commit ...) I however don't ignore the context under which the charges were dropped: any conviction would be merely ceremonial, as he already has multiple life sentences from which he will never be released.
dragonwriter 5y ago
> Those "hits" were retracted in court and not included in filing. No, they were presented to the court in the drug trafficking trial, found to be true, and considered in sentencing, all of which was upheld on appeal. ---quote [0]--- At the sentencing hearing, the district court resolved several disputed issues of fact. For example, because Ulbricht contested his responsibility for the five commissioned murders for hire, the district court found by a preponderance of the evidence that Ulbricht did in fact commission the murders, believing that they would be carried out. The district court characterized the evidence of the murders for hire, which included Ulbricht's journal, chats with other Silk Road users, and the evidence showing that Ulbricht actually paid a total of $650,000 in Bitcoins for the killings, as “ample and unambiguous.” [...] The record was more than sufficient to support the district court's reliance on those attempted murders in sentencing Ulbricht to life in prison. The attempted murders for hire separate this case from that of an ordinary drug dealer, regardless of the quantity of drugs involved in the offense, and lend further support to the district court's finding that Ulbricht's conduct and character were exceptionally destructive. That he was able to distance himself from the actual violence he paid for by using a computer to order the killings is not mitigating. Indeed, the cruelty that he displayed in his casual and confident negotiations for the hits is unnerving. ---[end quote]--- [0] https://caselaw.findlaw.com/us-2nd-circuit/1862572.html https://caselaw.findlaw.com/us-2nd-circuit/1862572.html

The hit charge was dropped, but only after he was sentenced with no opportunity for release. The veracity of the claim has never been proven nor disproven.

0xy 5y ago
If someone isn't charged and convicted of murder, they are innocent of murder. This is the core of modern justice systems, unless you are in favor of extrajudicial witch hunts based on the testimony of checks notes corrupt federal agents who were charged and convicted themselves.
- bdcravens 5y ago
  I agree he wasn't convicted of murder, as the charges were dismissed with prejudice. (ignoring the fact that no one was killed, so it would have been conspiracy to commit ...) I however don't ignore the context under which the charges were dropped: any conviction would be merely ceremonial, as he already has multiple life sentences from which he will never be released.

dragonwriter 5y ago

> Those "hits" were retracted in court and not included in filing. No, they were presented to the court in the drug trafficking trial, found to be true, and considered in sentencing, all of which was upheld on appeal. ---quote [0]--- At the sentencing hearing, the district court resolved several disputed issues of fact. For example, because Ulbricht contested his responsibility for the five commissioned murders for hire, the district court found by a preponderance of the evidence that Ulbricht did in fact commission the murders, believing that they would be carried out. The district court characterized the evidence of the murders for hire, which included Ulbricht's journal, chats with other Silk Road users, and the evidence showing that Ulbricht actually paid a total of $650,000 in Bitcoins for the killings, as “ample and unambiguous.” [...] The record was more than sufficient to support the district court's reliance on those attempted murders in sentencing Ulbricht to life in prison. The attempted murders for hire separate this case from that of an ordinary drug dealer, regardless of the quantity of drugs involved in the offense, and lend further support to the district court's finding that Ulbricht's conduct and character were exceptionally destructive. That he was able to distance himself from the actual violence he paid for by using a computer to order the killings is not mitigating. Indeed, the cruelty that he displayed in his casual and confident negotiations for the hits is unnerving. ---[end quote]--- [0] https://caselaw.findlaw.com/us-2nd-circuit/1862572.html https://caselaw.findlaw.com/us-2nd-circuit/1862572.html