Texas jury acquits in death of escort

[bcguy42 38594]

This is so wrong on so many levels.

http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/article/Jury-acquits-escort-shooter-4581027.php

[Meaghan McLeod 179664]

He shot her because she wouldn't give him is $150 back because she wouldn't have sex? That's ok in Texas? They are actually calling her a thief and she is the one who is dead.

 

Since when did it become ok to shoot someone for "stealing" from you? Obviously in Texas its ok.

 

This is so wrong on so many levels. Thanks for posting this.

[Phaedrus 209521]

Yes, this is horrific. I can't think of a purer expression of contempt for a person than a verdict like that.

 

FWIW, here's quite a good explanation of what Texas law says, and how you can use it to end up with an abomination like this.

[bcguy42 38594]

What a difference 40 years makes. A well known tort case from 1971, http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katko_v._Briney was decided on the principle that human life has greater value than property. Farmer set an unattended trapgun to protect empty farmhouse. Bad guy is injured when he breaks in. Bad guy sues Farmer and wins. Farmer has to sell most of farm to settle judgment.

[Claire Heavens 51771]

This is all so disturbing. Omg. :(

[Phaedrus 209521]

What a difference 40 years makes. A well known tort case from 1971, http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katko_v._Briney was decided on the principle that human life has greater value than property.

 

I don't think the difference is 40 years. The difference is Texas as opposed to Iowa (or anywhere else in the civilized world, for that matter).

 

The other huge issue here is the criminalization of sex work. The fact that the simple exchange of sex for money is illegal in Texas means that there was no legal contract between them. Usually, if you pay for service from someone and you're dissatisfied, that's a civil matter rather than a criminal one, so even if they walk off with your money you still can't shoot them. You can sue them to get your money back, but you can't call it theft.

 

If the murderer in this case had shot a gardener or cleaner or lawyer or anyone else whose business was legal, he'd have been convicted as no theft could have occurred. But because sex work is illegal... there was no legal contract, so her walking out with the money counts as theft, and it was night-time, and so it was OK - under Texas law - for him to shoot her.

 

I wonder if the prohibitionists who are currently hand-wringing over how terrible this is will acknowledge their own role in making it possible? I doubt it, somehow.

[bcguy42 38594]

Sadly, I agree with you that the sex worker part was a major factor.

[castle 38816]

I just read this article through facebook and was about to share it here. This is just.....fucked. There's really no other word for it.

[PhantomKnight 7914]

That's pretty messed up. Karma however is a bitch and it will hopefully catch up to him.

[Gpebo 100]

Texas is one messed up place everyone has a gun so what goes around comes around.

[Passiveelect 407]

As a US'er, The fact that this is Texas takes any surprise out of the situation. Texas is a messed up place. Please don't judge the rest of us south of the border dwellers by the mistakes and messed up nature of one state :(