4 ms·

The felony murder rule is somewhat controversial but nevertheless nearly universal in the United States.

beamatronic 12y ago
Does it always override the Good Samaritan law? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_Samaritan_law http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_Samaritan_law "Good Samaritan laws offer legal protection to people who give reasonable assistance to those who are injured, ill, in peril, or otherwise incapacitated." Does the law allow you to act as a Good Samaritan in the course of committing a felony?
- ctdonath 12y ago
  It might protect you from breaking the heart attack victim's ribs while delivering CPR, but it won't protect you from inducing a heart attack in the bank teller you tried to feloniously rob.
  - mod 12y ago
    Why would it protect you from that? You aren't trying to help the bank teller. This guy tried to help his buddy. He should be charged with what he actually is responsible for. His buddy sealed his own fate.
  - Someone 12y ago
    I think the OP was thinking of the attempt to save his buddy who was shot. I can't see how that was being a good Samaritan; that act wasn't about saving his life, it was about keeping him out of the hands of the police. If he asks that in general, I would think being a Good Samaritan would take precedence over lots of crimes. For example: speeding or driving through a red light on your way to a hospital with a heavily wounded passenger, or jumping into a pool where it is forbidden to swim to save someone from drowning IMO should not be punished. Felonies may be different. For example, pulling a huge man in the line of fire to save two others? Highly questionable, IMO. On the other hand, this article seems to indicate that pulling someone from the ledge he wants to jump of or even preventing someone from falling out of a tree legally is kidnapping. If so, I would hope one can't go to prison for such acts.
- vinceguidry 12y ago
  > Does the law allow you to act as a Good Samaritan in the course of committing a felony? As long as the decision is up to prosecutors, no.
- dragonwriter 12y ago
  > Does the law allow you to act as a Good Samaritan in the course of committing a felony? I don't think any jurisdiction has a "Good Samaritan" law which makes it so that trying to provide assistance after the fact negates liability one would have for criminal acts that make you liable for the injury in the first place, including effects of injury that the attempt to provide assistance was intended to prevent but failed to.

Does it always override the Good Samaritan law? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_Samaritan_law http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_Samaritan_law "Good Samaritan laws offer legal protection to people who give reasonable assistance to those who are injured, ill, in peril, or otherwise incapacitated." Does the law allow you to act as a Good Samaritan in the course of committing a felony?

ctdonath 12y ago
It might protect you from breaking the heart attack victim's ribs while delivering CPR, but it won't protect you from inducing a heart attack in the bank teller you tried to feloniously rob.
- mod 12y ago
  Why would it protect you from that? You aren't trying to help the bank teller. This guy tried to help his buddy. He should be charged with what he actually is responsible for. His buddy sealed his own fate.
- Someone 12y ago
  I think the OP was thinking of the attempt to save his buddy who was shot. I can't see how that was being a good Samaritan; that act wasn't about saving his life, it was about keeping him out of the hands of the police. If he asks that in general, I would think being a Good Samaritan would take precedence over lots of crimes. For example: speeding or driving through a red light on your way to a hospital with a heavily wounded passenger, or jumping into a pool where it is forbidden to swim to save someone from drowning IMO should not be punished. Felonies may be different. For example, pulling a huge man in the line of fire to save two others? Highly questionable, IMO. On the other hand, this article seems to indicate that pulling someone from the ledge he wants to jump of or even preventing someone from falling out of a tree legally is kidnapping. If so, I would hope one can't go to prison for such acts.
vinceguidry 12y ago
> Does the law allow you to act as a Good Samaritan in the course of committing a felony? As long as the decision is up to prosecutors, no.
dragonwriter 12y ago
> Does the law allow you to act as a Good Samaritan in the course of committing a felony? I don't think any jurisdiction has a "Good Samaritan" law which makes it so that trying to provide assistance after the fact negates liability one would have for criminal acts that make you liable for the injury in the first place, including effects of injury that the attempt to provide assistance was intended to prevent but failed to.