Juries may convict of lesser crimes than evidence warrants through sympathy

Evidence

Followinhis desertion of Rita, Ronnie lived with his father. But he took no employment and led a life of progressively more notable dissipation. His continuing need of money, together with his father’s disapproval of his course of life, led to frequent and increasingly more bitter quarrels between the two. … In the course of such a quarrel, on January 2, 1930, Richard was provoked into saying, “By God, I’m going to change my will and leave all my money to a foundation for the study of juvenile delinquency.” Thereupon Ronnie drew a gun and shot his father between the eyes, causing his instant death. … Ronnie was promptly indicted and tried for murder in the first degree. His counsel played upon the sympathy of the jury by dwelling upon the death of Ronnie’s mother in childbirth and his lonely and unhappy childhood. The jury, instead of bringing in a verdict of murder in the first or second degree as the evidence would have warranted, brought in a verdict of guilty only of manslaughter in the first degree. — Henry M. Hart, Jr. and Albert M. Sacks, The Legal Process, 1741

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Courts may not let moral condemnation override their limited institutional role — Henry M. Hart, Jr. and Albert M. Sacks, The Legal Process: Basic Problems in…, 1774; Jurors decide cases based on personal sympathy rather than facts — G. Alan Tarr, Judicial Process and Judicial…, 1451; Jury verdicts turn on sympathy for the accused more than case facts — G. Alan Tarr, Judicial Process and Judicial…, 886 (+2 more)

Broader Connections

• Jurors decide cases based on personal sympathy rather than facts #corroborates (0.88) — G. Alan Tarr, Judicial Process and Judicial…, 1451