The current Event that I'm interested in is:
PA. teen takes selfie with dead body, charged with murder
| "The crime happened on february 4th, 2015 Maxwell Morton faces a preliminary hearing Feb. 19 on charges of first-degree murder, criminal homicide and possession of a weapon by a minor following the shooting Wednesday of Ryan Mangan, who also was 16. Mangan's funeral was Monday in Jeannette, a city of roughly 9,500 residents about 25 miles east of Pittsburgh." This was a Specific Intent Crime "police searched his home Friday and found a 9 mm handgun hidden under the basement steps, according to the affidavit". |
Read more: http://triblive.com/news/westmoreland/7729452-74/police-morton-photo#ixzz3RXbGe18p
In this instance, the boy who received the photo saved it, and his mother turned it over to police.
The photo "depicted the victim sitting in the chair with a gunshot wound to the face," which, police said, is how Mangan's mother found her son when she returned home at about 6 p.m. that day. The Snapchat photo had the name Maxwell at the top, and Morton also sent the same boy text messages saying, "Told you I cleaned up the shells" and "Ryan was not the last one," according to the criminal complaint.
Westmoreland County District Attorney John Peck would not comment on the messages, including whether authorities believe Morton was referencing plans to kill others. "We don't anticipate any additional charges at this time," Peck said Monday."
The Sentencing :
By charging Morton with first-degree murder, authorities contend the killing was premeditated with malice. The criminal homicide charge is an umbrella count that leaves open the possibility that Morton could be prosecuted for a lesser degree of murder or even manslaughter. If convicted of first-degree murder, Morton would face up to life in prison, though the sentence would not be mandatory — as it is with adults — because he is under 18.
Even so, Morton is charged as though he's an adult. His eventual attorney could try to get a judge to move the case to juvenile court, where Morton would face incarceration or parole only until he is 21."