On most Saturdays, Steve Mean played handball at a nearby park. He usually inlin

Question

On most Saturdays, Steve Mean played handball at a nearby park. He usually inline-skated via sidewalks and then across a pedestrian overpass above the nearby freeway. Noticing a hole in the cage like fencing along the overpass, Mean decided to drop a handball onto the freeway below to “see what would happen.” Kristina Rey was driving to the mall when the ball struck and broke the windshield on her new Volkswagen. Startled, she jerked the wheel, sending her car directly into oncoming traffic. Rey was killed instantly when an eighteen-wheeler smashed into her Volkswagen head on. Of what kind of homicide is Steve Mean guilty?

Explanation / Answer

He cannot be held guilty.

For proving guilty under the Homicide, there is a need to prove Corpus delicti that demands two elements:

a) A crime or harm has occurred

b) Most probably because of the criminal act

In current case, there is no proof that the crime has ocoured due to the criminal act. The death or harm is actually caused by the accidental elements. Hence, the Steve Mean cannot be hold guilty under homicide.

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