Introduction

◦ Aims of Criminal Law

◦ Pre-Trial; Trial by Jury
◦ Proof Beyond a Reasonable Doubt
◦ Presumption of Innocence
◦ Owens v. State
Theories of Punishment
◦ The Queen v. Dudley and Stephens
◦ MPC s 1.02
◦ People v. Superior Court (Du)
◦ People v. Du
◦ Ewing v. California
Principle of Legality and Statutory Interpretation
◦ Commonwealth v. Mochan
◦ In re Banks
◦ Desertrain v. City of Los Angeles
Actus Reus
◦ Voluntary Act
◦ Martin v. State
◦ State v. Utter
◦ MPC 1.13(2); 1.13(3); 2.01
◦ Omissions (“Negative Acts”)
◦ People v. Beardsley
◦ Barber v. Superior Court
Mens Rea
◦ United States v. Cordoba-Hincapie
◦ Regina v. Cunningham
◦ MPC 2.02; 1.13(10)
◦ Transferred Intent
◦ Willful Blindness
◦ Strict Liability
◦ MPC 2.05; 1.04(5)
◦ People v. Conley
◦ State v. Nations
◦ Staples v. United States
◦ Mistakes (of Fact and of Law)
◦ People v. Navarro
◦ People v. Marrero
◦ MPC 2.04
Causation
◦ Actual Causation
◦ Proximate Causation
◦ Velazquez v. State
◦ Oxendine v. State
◦ People v. Rideout
◦ Velazquez v. State
 ◦ Magnolia Hypo
Substantive Offenses
◦ Criminal Homicide
 Homicide: Intentional --- Murder
 State v. Guthrie
 Midgett v. State
 State v. Forrest
 MPC 210.0; 210.1; 210.2; 210.3; 210.4
 Homicide: Intentional --- Manslaughter
 Girouard v. State
 People v. Casassa
 Homicide: Unintentional --- Murder and Manslaughter
 People v. Knoller
 State v. Williams
 Homicide: Felony --- Murder
 People v. Fuller
 People v. Howard
 People v. Smith
 State v. Sophophone
◦ Rape and Related Sexual Offenses
 The Traditional Approach --- the Requirement of Force and
Resistance
 State v. Alston
 Rusk v. State
 State v. Rusk
 The Modern Approach --- Abandoning “Force,” Embracing Mens
Rea
 State of New Jersey in the Interest of M.T.S.
 MPC 213
Defenses
◦ Justification Defenses
 Categories of Defenses
 Structure of Justification Defenses
 Self-Defense
 “Reasonable Belief” Requirement
 People v. Goetz
 MPC 3.09
 State v. Wanrow
 State v. Norman
 State v. Norman
 United States v. Peterson
 MPC 1.12, 3.04, 3.11
 Necessity (“Choice of Evils”)
 MPC 3.02
◦ Excuse Defenses
 Excuses
 Duress
 United States v. Contento-Pachon
 MPC 2.09