Case analysis methods and applications

¶ … Beltway Sniper and the cases that are being presented against those who committed the crimes. There are several competing interests in the case including rights, responsibilities and issues. This paper attempts to determine what interests takes first place and who those interests belong too. The writer also argues that if the interests compete or clash with each other than the premium must be placed on the loss of human life, even over the federal charges about transporting guns intrastate illegally. There was one source used to complete this paper.

The nation was held in fear as the Beltway Sniper took hold. The sniper attacked again and again with little rhyme or reason as to who the next victim might be. Authorities were unable to get a handle on why the shootings were happening and what the benefit for the sniper might be. Those who lived in the area of the Beltway were afraid to stop and get gas, walk through a parking lot or mow their lawns as the sniper picked them off one by one. A child was shot and the world gasped in shock, while the sniper continued to slip in and out of areas in broad daylight and unseen. When the snipers were finally caught the nation breathed a collective sigh of relief. As the case began to unfold it quickly became clear that it was going to be complicated. The federal government as well as several state governments has a stake in the outcome of this case and as they line up to charge the snipers, there will have to be decisions made about who and what takes precedence.

The competing interests in this case are the federal government, the state government of Alabama and the state government of Virginia. Each of these elements have a stake in the outcome of the case because the snipers committed crimes under each of their jurisdictions.

The federal government has a stake in this case because of the 20 felony charges it says Sniper John Muhammad has to answer. Those charges include extortion and the intent to commit murder. The extortion charges are because of the contact that the sniper had with officials in which he mentioned a sum of money that would purchase the elimination of the shootings. In addition to the extortion charges the federal government has issue with the fact that Muhammad was in possession of and transported intrastate assault weapons when he had a restraining order in place against him from his ex-wife in Tacoma Washington.

Federal prosecutors today (10/29) filed this criminal complaint, charging alleged Beltway Sniper John Muhammad with 20 felony counts, including extortion and intent to commit murder. According to the accompanying probable cause affidavit, Muhammad once introduced Lee Boyd Malvo, his alleged teenage accomplice, as "Sniper" (Malvo is referred to as "John Doe, Juvenile" in the document). If convicted of the federal raps, Muhammad could face the death penalty (Case analysis on Beltway Sniper accessed 3-29-2003

Source: http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/jamuhammadD1.html)."

The responsibilities involved in the case include the prioritizing the claims and deciding who gets what. It is important to choose jurisdictions that will provide the most strong prosecution base for the governments involved. The issue of jurisdiction belongs to the state and federal governments involved in the prosecution. The interests also belong to the families involved with the sniper victims because they want to be sure the snipers pay for their crimes against their loved ones.