Criminal Law Keyed to Kaplan
State v. Crawford
Facts
Defendant repeatedly purchased drugs from Bateman and ran up a debt of $10,000 to Bateman. Bateman told Defendant to commit robberies in order to satisfy the debt, or Bateman would injure him. Bateman drove Defendant to a nearby city and told Defendant to rob a woman getting into her car. Defendant did rob and assault the woman, demanding money and valuables Defendant then engaged in further criminal activity over the next several hours including hijacking a car and kidnapping the occupants, robbing two homes, and forcing a homeowner to access an ATM to provide Defendant with more money. Bateman was not satisfied with the value of the items and cash stolen and told Defendant that he would harm Defendant’s son if Defendant did not commit more robberies. One of Defendant’s victims contacted the police and Defendant was arrested. At trial, Defendant asserted the defense of duress, claiming that Bateman’s threats were the primary motivation for the crimes Defendant committed. Defendant was convicted and appealed, arguing that the jury instruction on duress requiring an imminent threat was erroneous.
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