Boxing Day Shooting Trial Has a Surprising End

On Boxing Day 2005, a 15 year old girl by the name of Jane Creba was window shopping, when her life came to a sudden end due to the recklessness of Louis Raphael Woodcock, age 23, and Tyshaun Barnett, age 22. The infamous murder took place when a young man exited a Foot Locker, carrying a .357 calibre Magnum revolver, and confronted a group of 10 men, a group that Louis and Tyshaun were a part of. The two defendants were in possession of a 9 milimetre handgun and .25 calibre semi automatic handgun when they were at the same Foot Locker. The young girl in question was shot dead by accident, but her life was taken nonetheless during a reckless shooting that could have been avoided, leading to a murder trial, where the two thugs were being charged with second degree murder. Today, the case has finally come to an end, and the verdict is that the two men are not guilty of second degree murder, but of manslaughter.

This is an extremely tragic story that this girl lost her life do to the carelessness of others, and even more so that these two men are not being punished to the full extent of the law. To clarify, first degree murder is a crime that is carried out in a manner that was planned, and commited with the exact intent of killing the victim. Second degree murder, which is what the defendents were charged with, is murder without the specific intention or preparation. The defendents were found guilty of manslaughter, which would mean that the defendents did not wish to murder the victim. I personally believe this is saying that the life they took couldn't have been avoided, and that the mistake they made is barely related to the death of this girl, and this couldn't be more wrong. I do think it is good that they are at least getting some form of punishment, and that this case can be put to rest so that the family can move on.