Legal Quandary

Friday Night Videos - The Revival

I've been remiss for the past couple of weeks. One I would have to call an excused absence due to a death in the family. Last week I just forgot.

Anyway, without further ado, what have we got here tonight?


Well, for starters, there's the possibility of child abuse - it's unclear what the exact situation is and whether the father acted in self defense, but throwing your 18 year old child through a glass door could constitute child abuse depending on the jurisdiction. At the very least it looks like there's a history of domestic violence in this family. Was CPS ever called? Were any services provided? And one has to wonder - where is the mother in this family?

Aside from the initial family law issues, it seems as if Ricky has gotten himself mixed up in the wrong crowd and has violated several sections of the criminal code in most jurisdictions. Assuming Ricky is a US citizen and is indeed only 18, it would appear there's some underage drinking going on. Definitely some arson and vandalism. Also, what looks like breaking and entering, theft or at least conversion, as well as carrying a concealed weapon, presumably without a permit - all topped off by a little manslaughter, since it appears that his act was not planned in advance.

Now, given young Ricky's tumultuous home life, one has to wonder whether his attorney brought it up for purposes of mitigation - if not, he may be able to argue ineffective assistance of counsel on appeal. At the very least, the fact that Ricky was 18 and received a life sentence raises some questions about access to justice in our current criminal justice system.

posted by Legal Quandary at 20:48