Re: NO MURDER PROSECUTION KANE COUNTY ILLINOIS

["Robert L. Bass" <robertlbass@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

> Felony Murder Doctrine

There needs to be a causal relationship between the criminal acts and the
death.  For example, suppose someone robs a bank while one of the patrons is
present.  The patron suffers a fatal stroke during the robbery.  To prove
murder the state would have to show that the stroke was caused or at least
exacerbated by the crime.

In the case in point without knowing the officer's medical history there is
no way to know if the crime brought on the death.  He may have been
suffering from chronic heart disease -- many older police officers are -- or
some other problem.

The mere act of running, even if it brought on a heart attack, is not
something extraordinary to police work.  Officers are often required to
exert themselves and if this man's heart was so weak that a short run killed
him defense attorneys would have little trouble persuading the court that
his death was due to natural causes.