Reagan aide Jim Brady's death ruled homicide

[noZme]

"WASHINGTON (AP) -- This week's death of former White House press secretary James Brady, who survived a gunshot wound to the head in a 1981 assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan, has been ruled a homicide by a medical examiner..."
"Nancy Bull, district administrator for the Virginia medical examiner's office, which made the ruling, declined to disclose the results of the autopsy and referred inquiries to District police. An autopsy revealed the cause of death to be a gunshot wound and its health consequences, and the manner of death was ruled a homicide, "

Hinckley will be blamed?
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_JAMES_BRADY_HOMICIDE_RULING?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

Something similar: http://sciencefriday.com/blogs/08/06/2014/medical-mystery-the-pink-eye-of-death.html?series=33

 

[Tulessa]

As he should be!

 

[panthera]

OMG! Has there been precedent for this with a successful prosecution after 34 years?

:justice:

 

[Kip]

While I think Hinckley should stay locked up for the rest of his life, IMO, murder charges after all this time is really stretching it. Why wasn't he charged for murder when Reagan died?

 

[panthera]

While I think Hinckley should stay locked up for the rest of his life, IMO, murder charges after all this time is really stretching it. Why wasn't he charged for murder when Reagan died?

Perhaps the fact that Reagan was able to continue a fully-functioning life in the aftermath explains why. He wasn't struck in the head resulting in paralysis, requiring the use of a wheelchair for the rest of his life. With that said, however, it was my understanding from reading somewhere that Brady had regained some ability regarding movement and improved speech in his later years. Without the actual autopsy report, it is hard to say how the determination was made after this length of time and Brady's age.

MOO

 

[Carolina Girl]

I think this is reaching. Hinckley was charged long ago.....this is not right.

 

[LaborDayRN]

While I think Hinckley should stay locked up for the rest of his life, IMO, murder charges after all this time is really stretching it. Why wasn't he charged for murder when Reagan died?

While I don't really know the answer to this question, my guess would be the his death now is directly related to the injuries he suffered in the shooting. Maybe????

 

[panthera]

While I don't really know the answer to this question, my guess would be the his death now is directly related to the injuries he suffered in the shooting. Maybe????

My assumption only, that he suffered no other medical condition other than directly related to the shooting, which resulted in his death and that he would have lived longer if not for those injuries? It is the only thing that I can think of to make this determination, again, after so many years and his age.

MOO

 

[Montjoy]

Perhaps the fact that Reagan was able to continue a fully-functioning life in the aftermath explains why.
MOO

rsbm

While I would tend to agree with you, I think that it's unclear whether or not being shot accelerated Reagan's Alzheimer syndrome and dementia. He was clearly symptomatic in the latter part of his term (e.g., signing his name as Reagan Ronald). So I would submit that being shot might have had a considerable effect on his longevity and standard of life, and say that by most definitions he was not 'fully functioning'.

 

[panthera]

rsbm

While I would tend to agree with you, I think that it's unclear whether or not being shot accelerated Reagan's Alzheimer syndrome and dementia. He was clearly symptomatic in the latter part of his term (e.g., signing his name as Reagan Ronald). So I would submit that being shot might have had a considerable effect on his longevity and standard of life, and say that by most definitions he was not 'fully functioning'.

Will agree with that, however, my thoughts were more in line with Reagan's physical condition, i.e. ability to walk, chop wood at his ranch, etc. Those things Brady was unable to do, and may have contributed to his health issues, and ultimately his death.

MOO

 

[al66pine]

A historical note here about the lapse of time between injury and death & bringing crim homicide charges.
[SUP]Yes, wikipedia, so read FWIW.[/SUP]

In some common lawjurisdictions, a defendant accused of murder is not guilty if the victimsurvives for longer than one year and one day after the attack.[SUP][28][/SUP] Thisreflects the likelihood that if the victim dies, other factors will havecontributed to the cause of death, breaking the chain of causation.Subject to any statute of limitations, the accused couldstill be charged with an offence representing the seriousness of the initial assault.With advances in modern medicine, most countries haveabandoned a fixed time period and test causation on the facts of the case.
In the UnitedStates, many jurisdictions have abolished the rule as well.[SUP][29][30][/SUP] Abolitionof the rule has been accomplished by enactment of statutory criminal codes,which had the effect of displacing the common-law definitions of crimes andcorresponding defenses. In 2001, the Supreme Court of the United Statesheld that retroactive application of a state supreme court decision abolishingthe year-and-a-day rule did not violate the Ex Post FactoClause of Article I of the United StatesConstitution.[SUP][31][/SUP]
In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, a 74-year-oldman, William Barnes, was acquitted of murder charges on May 24, 2010. He was ontrial for murder for the death of Philadelphia police officer Walter Barkley.Barnes shot Barkley on November 27, 1966, and served 16 years in prison forattempted murder. Barkley died on August 19, 2007, allegedly from complicationsof the wounds suffered nearly 41 years earlier.[SUP][32][/SUP]
Courtesy http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder. BBM

And a little more from wikipedia:

Application of the year and a day rule prevented murder prosecutions, not because of the merits of the case, but because of the successful intervention of doctors in prolonging life. Additionally, advances in forensic medicine may assist the court to determine that an act was a cause of death even though it was carried out fairly far in the past.

United States
The rule's status in the United Statesis less clear: many states have abolished it completely, and in 2001 the Supreme Court held that aTennessee court's retroactive abolition of the rule was constitutional.[SUP][2][/SUP]However, the rule's common law status has been successfully used by defendantsto overturn convictions as recently as 2003: the Supreme Court of Wisconsin upheld the yearand a day rule in the case before it, but simultaneously abolished the rule forany later cases, noting the modern circumstances of homicide cases, in whichthere is "the specter of a family's being forced to choose betweenterminating the use of a life-support system and allowing an accused to escapea murder charge" and the court's finding that it is "unjust to permitan assailant
to escapepunishment because of a convergence of modern medical advances and an archaicrule from the thirteenth century".[SUP][3][/SUP]
In California,the "year and a day" rule has been changed to a "three years anda day" rule.[SUP][4][/SUP]If a death occurs more than three years and one day after the act alleged tohave caused it, there is "a rebuttable presumption that the killing wasnot criminal", but the prosecution may seek to overcome this presumption.[SUP][5]

Courtesy http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Year_and_a_day_rule
[/SUP]
ETA: Just because the ME declared Mr. Brady's death a homicide does not necessarily result in any crim charges against Hinckley.

 

[SophieRose]

rsbm

While I would tend to agree with you, I think that it's unclear whether or not being shot accelerated Reagan's Alzheimer syndrome and dementia. He was clearly symptomatic in the latter part of his term (e.g., signing his name as Reagan Ronald). So I would submit that being shot might have had a considerable effect on his longevity and standard of life, and say that by most definitions he was not 'fully functioning'.

Maybe Brady would have lived longer than 73 years, if not for the gunshot wound. Even if Reagan's life could have been affected by the gunshot, he lived a long life at 93 years. Also Reagan's brother had Alzheimer's, so it could be argued that it was hereditary.

 

[Sincerely]

Personally, I feel if you shoot someone you carry all of the consequences of that decision. If it's found he died as a result of the gunshot by professionals then he should be charged with murder. That won't happen...but still he chose to shoot.

 

[Tugela]

Maybe Brady would have lived longer than 73 years, if not for the gunshot wound. Even if Reagan's life could have been affected by the gunshot, he lived a long life at 93 years. Also Reagan's brother had Alzheimer's, so it could be argued that it was hereditary.

Since he wasn't shot in the head, his wounds had nothing to do with him developing Alzheimers. He was just old.

 

[chlban]

While I think Hinckley should stay locked up for the rest of his life, IMO, murder charges after all this time is really stretching it. Why wasn't he charged for murder when Reagan died?

But Hinkclley has been given passes to visit his family, so he is not truly remaining locked up as it stands now.

I am all for charges being brought against him for Mr. Brady's death.

 

[wfgodot]

No charges for Reagan shooter Hinckley in Brady death

Reuters, @ Daily Mail site

 

[LinasK]

As he should be!

What took so long???