• @Varyk
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    1443 months ago

    “His defense attorney, Matt Fregi, said he harbored “no ill will toward” his client, who had already cycled through several attorneys before him. “Nothing serious,” he said of his injuries. “Everyone thought it was a lot more serious than what it was.””

    That’s a cool lawyer

    • @[email protected]
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      303 months ago

      Actually, that guy is completely fucked. That attorney will make sure that there is zero chance that guy can ever appeal any of his cases.

      • @[email protected]
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        63 months ago

        Are you suggesting that he’ll purposely do a bad job? That sort of thing could get him disbarred.

        • Kairos
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          133 months ago

          No, he’ll defend it fully to his duty so that the defendant can’t claim lawyer incompetence.

      • @Varyk
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        43 months ago

        Sorry, I’m not following. You mean the defendant is fucked and his lawyer he stabbed will try to get revenge on him?

        • @[email protected]
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          03 months ago

          If the lawyer does a very good job, then the defendant has no path to later appeal his case. Many defense attorneys aren’t there to get their clients out of trouble, especially in high profile cases, they exist to make sure that the law is applied fairly.

          • @[email protected]
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            73 months ago

            If the lawyer does a very good job, then the defendant has no path to later appeal his case.

            This is complete nonsense.

            • @[email protected]
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              13 months ago

              IANAL, but: It circles back to the right to fair representation.

              Say he’s convicted, but at a later court, claims “After my totally involuntary psychotic episode, now verified by multiple behavioral psychologists, my lawyer held my unintentional actions against me and did a demonstrably poor job in the remainder of the case. I deserve the right to a fair trial.”

              That COULD be enough to get the case declared a mistrial and re-scheduled.

              • @[email protected]
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                23 months ago

                But there’s also a billion reasons you can make an appeal. Most of which have nothing to do with that. Also, being able to make an appeal is a low bar. Most criminal convictions can be appealed…the chance of that appeal overturning the conviction remains low.

          • @Ajen
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            3 months ago

            Are you saying you think a defense attorney’s job isn’t to do their best to defend their client?

            • @[email protected]
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              13 months ago

              There could be issues with witnesses or evidence that wasn’t handled properly. The attorney could point out all of those flaws in order to best defend their client. That of course would leave the defendant with nothing to try to apply with. A less thorough attorney might not find those issues.

              • @Ajen
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                43 months ago

                OK, but your previous post says:

                Many defense attorneys aren’t there to get their clients out of trouble, especially in high profile cases, they exist to make sure that the law is applied fairly.

                Do stand by what you said about defense attorneys not “there to get their clients out of trouble?”

                • @[email protected]
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                  23 months ago

                  Yes, they are there to present eveey possible defense to the alligatons even if the client is clearly guilty. Reasons for appeal could include improper handling of evidence, interviewing witnesses improperly, or jury issues. If the attorney catches those and brings them up at trial, then they can’t be used during an appeal in order to get the client of on a technically.

      • @[email protected]
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        33 months ago

        I bet that attorney has so much good will for his client that he will give the best defense even though his client is a-hole.

  • @[email protected]
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    873 months ago

    according to a source at the scene, Randle jammed the pen into Fregi’s head and again near his jaw.

    Well shit. I was imagining, like, the shoulder, or something.

    • JackFrostNCola
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      113 months ago

      I had to go back and re-read the title, i thought it said he ‘slipped and stabbed lawyer’ and i was like ‘how the fuck did it happen twice?’.

  • @[email protected]
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    413 months ago

    assault with a deadly weapon

    If a pen qualifies as a deadly weapon, what doesn’t? Assault with bare hands?

    • @[email protected]
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      203 months ago

      Randle jammed the pen into Fregi’s head and again near his jaw

      I suppose it’s to do with how deadly it could have been? Not sure why it isn’t attempted murder, but I am not a lawyer.

      • @[email protected]
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        123 months ago

        I suppose because it’s harder to prove murder. Since he failed, they’d have to prove motive, and he could argue he only wanted to harm the lawyer.

        But assault is about facts, no feelings.

    • @Mouselemming
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      183 months ago

      Depends on the hands. A professional fighter can be charged with AWALW using their hands, or feet if that’s part of their martial arts training, although their body parts can’t legally be registered as such.

      This guy clearly intended that pen to be lethal and likely had the strength for it, but was fortunately restrained.

      • @[email protected]
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        53 months ago

        I guess. But you can also smother someone with a fluffy pillow. So that’s a deadly weapon, too? Like where is the line between “deadly weapon” and “any random object”.

        • @[email protected]
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          83 months ago

          I think it might just be a line of how they used the random object could have reasonably resulted in death. So if you smack someone in the face with a fluffy pillow, it’s not a deadly weapon. If you try to smother them with it, it is.

        • Carighan Maconar
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          53 months ago

          I’ll be honest, if I roll 99 on a crit roll with a pillow I damn well expect an instant kill.

            • Hazmatastic
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              73 months ago

              It’s a homebrew weapon from their last campaign in Pathfinder that they ported over, but the stats are legit and it’s balanced trust them

        • r00ty
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          33 months ago

          Seems quite simple to me. Things like guns, swords, daggers and the like are designed to be weapons. So they’re generally going to be assumed to be a weapon any time they’re used/brandished.

          But literally anything can be used as a weapon. So, in normal use they’re not a weapon but if used as a weapon, they become one in that instance.

          • @[email protected]
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            53 months ago

            Yeah, but then the term “deadly weapon” is kind of meaningless as it basically just means “assualt with a thing”.

            • Carighan Maconar
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              53 months ago

              I think on a legal level it means it was an object that was being wielded as a weapon, and from the attack in the specific instance it was meant to kill and the object was capable of achieving that. Hence a deadly weapon.

            • r00ty
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              53 months ago

              Yeah, I’d agree there. It should be whatever the US equivalent of aggravated assault is. But the charges you could levy bearing in mind he aimed for the head could go as far as attempted murder I guess.

            • @[email protected]
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              23 months ago

              Not entirely useless. “Assaulted with thing that could kill or maim under the circumstances at that time” is pretty relevant, even if it is super broad.

              Spitting on someone Is assault. If I was on trial for spitting on someone I’d hate to get lumped together with the guy who caved someone’s head in with a lead pipe.

        • @[email protected]
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          3 months ago

          If you used it as a weapon and it had the potential to kill the victim, then yes, it would be a deadly weapon.

    • Chainweasel
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      53 months ago

      That’s the thing.
      Literally anything is a weapon. Banning weapons will only go so far, it’ll definitely make it a lot harder for most mass killings to occur but if someone is determined enough they will make it happen.

      Eventually we won’t have a choice but to address the underlying mental health issues plaguing at least half the population.

      • Carighan Maconar
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        3 months ago

        True, although many countries in the world disagree with the US that banning firearms wouldn’t make a huge difference. By virtue of, well, them having done so and it having made a huge difference.

        • Chainweasel
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          53 months ago

          I’m not saying don’t ban firearms, I’m saying don’t ignore the underlying problems too. The rest of the world doesn’t have easy access to firearms but they also have much better access to mental health services.

      • Buglefingers
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        63 months ago

        That’s the other thing too, even objects not typically considered weapons can be made so, some more brual for mass killing/destruction than guns. Propane tanks, pressure cookers, even bleach and ammonia, even liquor has been used (quite effectively) historically.

        None of it is right, but when you start considering banning cooking supplies (pressure cookers I believe around Boston marathon bomber time) you are right, we do have to address the underlying issues

    • Melllvar
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      43 months ago

      “Assault with a deadly weapon or instrument other than a firearm” (CPC 245(a)(1)) can be charged as either a misdemeanor or a felony depending on the exact circumstances.

    • Alien Nathan Edward
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      33 months ago

      I feel like it’s context-dependent, though. It’s hard to argue that a pen in your head/jaw/neck does not have the potential to kill you.

    • @Mouselemming
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      163 months ago

      You’re absolutely right and it’s nice to see correct medical nomenclature here on Lemmy. Unlike some places where someone would say he’s wacko and belongs in the crazy hospital.

        • @[email protected]
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          33 months ago

          “Looney bin” is for the zany crazies and sits above the crazy hospital in the hierarchy.

          At the bottom is the “nuthouse”, which is reserved for the sickos.

      • No_
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        23 months ago

        I think “White House” falls somewhere on the scale.