Imagine getting so mad at someone that you hunt them down with your pal in a vehicle and try to shoot them. Instead of shooting the target, you hit an innocent bystander who is caught in the crossfire. Now you’re facing one count of first-degree murder, one count of attempted first-degree murder, and a bunch of other charges that won’t matter because both crimes are life penalties. And you never even got the guy you were beefing with.
According to witnesses two men fired on a third from a car. The target, who was somewhere off in the distance, returned fire, but police were able to determine that none of his bullets struck the victim. Meanwhile, the victim died.
One man is facing first-degree murder charges and another culprit has taken his own life after police attempted to apprehend him.
The shooter and the driver
The man accused of actually pulling the trigger is now dead. The man who drove the vehicle to the scene of the crime is in custody and facing first-degree murder charges. In this case, it likely won’t matter that he didn’t pull the trigger because he committed a felony in the attempt to target someone (anyone). In the commission of that felony, someone lost their life. Therefore, a charge of felony murder would be appropriate even for a driver who never fired a single shot.
The retaliation occurred as part of a shooting that was reported earlier in the month. The man who took his own life after a police chase was avenging the death of his brother. He believed that one of the men who had pulled the trigger was among those who were shot at. The man who died, however, is not believed to have been at the scene of the shooting when it occurred.
In the moments before the shooting, the two culprits exchanged text messages in preparation. The police have the text messages and will present them against the defendant if the case should go to trial. Police say that the surviving suspect then attempted to lie about it and say that he had let someone else borrow his phone. The individual accused of using the suspect’s phone denied the allegations and told police he saw the man exit his apartment shortly before the murder.
Don’t plan assassinations over text messenger
It feels like most folks go into these crimes without having a care in the world whether or not they get caught. In this case, you have a grieving brother ostensibly avenging his sibling’s death. He planned to do a basic drive-by on the guy which was organized over text messenger. So other than claiming that someone else had his phone at the time, he doesn’t really have a defense to this crime.
Talk to a West Palm Beach Criminal Defense Attorney
If you’re facing criminal charges, then you may need a West Palm Beach criminal defense attorney. Call Skier Law Firm, P.A. today to schedule a free consultation and learn more about how we can help.
Resource:
palmbeachpost.com/story/news/crime/2021/08/21/west-palm-beach-news-man-arrested-suburban-west-palm-homicide/8212767002/