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Criminal Law keyed to Dripps
People v. Van Ronk
Facts
Van Ronk (Defendant) went to the apartment of James Gravelle’s sister, Ruth, to purchase a “pound of pot.” When he arrived, Gravelle informed Defendant that he had not been able to obtain the marijuana to sell to him. Defendant told James he would return to the apartment around noon. Around noon, Defendant returned to Ruth’s apartment, along with a woman named Cindy. They stayed there for about two hours while James unsuccessfully attempted to locate the marijuana to sell. At some point, James and Cindy left the apartment to go to the store, during which time Defendant told Ruth he thought he was being cheated. When James and Cindy returned, Defendant said he wanted to go, but Cindy refused to go with him. After James and Defendant exchanged heated words, Defendant pulled out a gun and said, “I should kill you.” James responded by saying, “Get off.” Defendant then fired the gun, hitting James three times. Defendant then shot at Cindy but missed and also fired an errant shot at Ruth as she jumped into the kitchen. Defendant then demanded Ruth come out and told her he was going to shoot her. Ruth begged Defendant not to and he agreed if she gave him time to leave. Defendant then argued with Cindy over “the money” and then left after she told him where it was. Immediately thereafter, a friend of Ruth took James to the hospital where he was treated for critical gunshot wounds. Defendant was charged with attempted voluntary manslaughter. At trial, Defendant argued that he shot James in self-defense, claiming that James likely had a weapon. Defendant was convicted of attempted voluntary manslaughter and he appealed.
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