Mallard pleads not guilty to murder - smoked pot, took ecstasy and drank heavily before hit and run

The Dallas Morning News ^ | June 23, 2003 | From Staff and Wire Reports

[supercat]

Unlikely without premeditation.

Had Mr. Biggs died within an hour or two of his injuries, it would be hard to argue premeditation. I would argue, however, that at some point the woman made a concious decision that she was going to let Mr. Biggs die. Her actions from that point forward should constitute premeditated murder.

To my mind, the only question would be whether one could reasonably assign another aggravating factor to make it capital murder. I would suggest that a jury might find that either a torture or kidnapping aggravating factor applied. A judge might not so decide, but I think a jury would be willing to do everything possible to ensure that woman never sees the free light of day alive.

[Ditter]

Pathetic! She let a man die because she didn't want her family to know she drank & took drugs!

"Judge, I'm not guilty because I was intoxicated when I hit him. Its NOT my fault." sob

Hang her! No leniency in my court!

[sweetliberty]

Maybe, but I think it's a stretch. It sounds like they're already rallying the pity party in her behalf.

[autoresponder]

Will this delay her studies at the University of Michigan law school?

[cinFLA]

Being drugged is an aggravating circumstance.

"Mallard did stop briefly to try and get Biggs off her car, but when she couldn't, she drove about a mile to her home, Jack said."

And no one saw this?

[CindyDawg]

Will this delay her studies at the University of Michigan law school?

Do what????????

[Bonaparte]

Lemme see if I've got this one straight -- if I wanna knock somebody off, all I've got to do is get high on street drugs and booze and use that as an excuse for my deadly deed, right? I can use my car to mutilate a man and then leave him bleeding for hours unattended until he's dead, and I will walk -- just so long as I can convince a jury that, in addition to being a cold-hearted killer, I am also a degenerate. Is this how trials work these days?

[autoresponder]

We force them to take and sell drugs.

Please admit our guilt.

Hundreds of years of oppression caused this.

Even the giggles.

At least she has a sense of humor.

[arasina]

I'm really not surprised. It seems not a single person charged with a crime will ever plead GUILTY. There are too many excuses, no personal responsibility or shame, and too many lawyers smackin' their lips over the case that'll bring them to fame. Poor Gregory Biggs (and his family and friends). What he must've suffered as a result of Chante Mallard. Sickening.

[Catspaw]

I was surprised that she got away with just six months in jail for killing someone.

So am I. But prior to the negligent homicide classification being changed, the max anyone would do for a negligent homicide in Wisconsin would be 5 years (if they were sober; 10 years while drunk)--and under the prior calculation of good time, they'd serve 1/4 of the sentence. And that's the MAX. Nowadays, it's 25 for a negligent homicide (no prior DUIs), 40 with a prior DUI. That's the max--and that's straight time. Until recently, if you kill someone with anything but a car, the penalties were a whole lot less.

[Howlin]

I don't think so. She'll probably get points because it's a white guy!

[Howlin]

She was worrying and crying.....worried her parents would find out!

[Arkinsaw]

She should get the needle.

She had a dilemna, she could turn herself in, get the guy help, and if he died go up for manslaughter and if he lived a DUI and vehicular battery or something OR she could go home, let the guy die for sure, and either get nothing or manslaughter.

She rolled the dice, double or nothing. She lost. Her ante was another guy's life.

[MEG33]

Well then,that's different./sarcasm.

[Howlin]

If she had gotten him off her car, she would have driven away.

And I could have SWORN I heard them say today she drove almost seven miles!

[autoresponder]

20 points

+

20 more for atleticism

also a resume enhancement the Clintons would be proud of

[Dog Gone]

Unlikely without premeditation.

She's not being tried on capital murder charges which could bring the death penalty in Texas. Even premeditation isn't sufficient to get a capital murder verdict. It requires additional facts not present here.

The closest you could come to bringing a capital murder charge would be allege that she also kidnapped the victim by not freeing him or getting help. But that's kind of a stretch, too.

I'm not defending her in the least, and this crime was in many ways far more despicable than many capital murders. It's just the way the law is written.

[PistolPaknMama]

after the incident happened was that when she "talked about it" at a party, she giggled and said, "I killed a white man."

Whatever happened to the original story of the murderer going inside the house, having sex, going back to the garge to talk to the victim who died the next day, not in a "few hours." Did the murderer retract that statement or is that cleaned up by the media as well?

[Howlin]

I would argue, however, that at some point the woman made a concious decision that she was going to let Mr. Biggs die

She called a friend to come help HER.....not him.......she and her friend rode around for a couple of hours, trying to find other friends to help HER.

I'm pretty sure that that will strike the jury as her having decided to save herself and let him die.

[autoresponder]

athleticism

my (sp) & (typ) is getting lousy!