[Romulus]

Vehicular manslaughter — especially while drunk — is a horrible crime, and those guilty should pay. If people, like most on this thread, want it to be a capital crime (or alternatively, if they believe vengeance killings of passion should NOT be a crime), they should have the guts to say so explicitly and work for changes in the criminal statutes. This is a miscarriage of justice. RIP.

[Fantasywriter]

‘Vehicular manslaughter — especially while drunk — is a horrible crime, and those guilty should pay. If people, like most on this thread, want it to be a capital crime (or alternatively, if they believe vengeance killings of passion should NOT be a crime), they should have the guts to say so explicitly and work for changes in the criminal statutes. This is a miscarriage of justice. RIP.’

Actually a lot of people on this thread believe there is reasonable doubt. What makes you so certain the father was the shooter? He had no gun powder residue. How did he manage that, if he’d just shot the drunk driver?

[ontap]

This is a miscarriage of justice.

That depends on ones definition of justice......a drunk killing two people and getting a few years in jail or making bail and running back to Mexico.....that's a miscarriage of justice. Fact is even if the father did it, it was either temporary insanity or justifiable homicide IMHO!!!

[FredZarguna]

There are a couple of problems here. First of all, a vehicular homicide is very rarely an isolated incident. I don't know what the national figures are, but in 2009 the claim in my jurisdiction was that those convicted of vehicular homicide had on average 3.4 prior DUI convictions. Those are people with a wanton disregard for human life, and the death penalty should be on the table.

But setting that aside, when you have no weapon, no gun residue, and no witnesses, how is a juror with reasonable doubt participating in a "miscarriage of justice?" With all the apparatus of the state at his disposal, the prosecutor could do no better than the case as brought. You can't simply assume that everyone with motive and opportunity is guilty of murder.