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View Full Version : Judge gives life sentence in Chicago police officer's shooting death



azxd
03-28-2012, 03:06 AM
Judge gives life sentence in Chicago police officer's shooting death (http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/sns-ap-il--officershot-sentence,0,5032970.story)
Judge gives life sentence in Chicago police officer's shooting deathBy Associated
Press
1:31 p.m.
CDT, March
27, 2012


CHICAGO (AP) — A Cook County judge has sentenced a man
to life in prison in the 2008 death of a Chicago police officer who was gunned
down while serving a search warrant. Cook County Judge Nicholas Ford sentenced
40-year-old Lamar Cooper on Tuesday. The sentence carries no possibility of
parole. Jurors found Cooper guilty of first-degree murder in January in the
slaying of Officer Nathaniel Taylor Jr. Cooper's defense attorney had argued he
was acting in self-defense and didn't realize Taylor was a police
officer.Prosecutors say Taylor identified himself as a police officer and had a
warrant to search Cooper's South Side home for suspected drugs and
weapons.Cooper previously has served prison time for attempted murder of a
police officer.
No possibility of parole OMG ... Where is Al Sharpton !!!
asurfaholic
03-28-2012, 04:17 AM
In NC, the difference between first and second degree murder is simply the element of forethought. Pre-planning, laying in wait, etc must be proven to up the charge first degree.

2nd degree murder is more along the lines of "heat of the moment" killing, such as a husband walking in on his spouse cheating so he pulls a gun/machete/etc immediately, or very soon pulls a gun and shoots and kills a person. It escalate the crime if instead of killing someone right away, he left the residence, drove to a friends house, borrowed a gun, then tracked down the person he intended to kill.

To me, pulling a gun and shooting at an invasion would never constitute murder, but he killed a royal guard, so there has to be consequences....

Based off the quoted info above, there is no evidence of preplanning, as the warrants are served without warning, and can be confusing, so no element of preplanning.