Criminal Law Keyed to Kaplan
People v. Cavitt
Facts
Defendants conspired with Mianta McKnight to rob her 58 year-old stepmother, Betty McKnight. On December 1, 1995, Mianta helped Defendants to enter Betty’s home. The men put a sheet over Betty’s head and tied the sheet to her wrists and ankles with rope and duct tape. The men took jewelry and other valuables and left Betty tied up and face-down on the bed, having difficulty breathing. The Defendants pretended to tie up Mianta. Mianta untied herself and called her father to report the burglary, but by that time Betty had died from asphyxiation. At trial, Defendants admitted to the burglary-robbery, but claimed that Mianta suffocated Betty after they left for reasons unrelated to the burglary. Both Defendants were convicted of felony murder in separate trials and appealed.
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