Roper Vs. Simmons – Criminal Justice PaperEssay Preview: Roper Vs. Simmons – Criminal Justice PaperReport this essayRoper vs. SimmonsOn March 1, 2005 the Roper v. Simmons murder trial took place. It was about this time that the Atkins v. Virginia trial was decided, and Atkins won the favor. Atkins filed for mental retardation which influenced the court in a huge way. In this era, if one was guilty of murder he or she deserved the death penalty. It was because of this belief that the 1st court decision of Roper v. Simmons was made. Christopher Simmons planned the burglary and murder of Shirley Cook with his friends in 1993; Simmons and one other friend met around midnight, and went to Shirley Cooks house where they covered her eyes, tied her hands together, and tossed her off of a bridge. When they were caught the case went to trial.
Roper vs. Simmons; Criminal Justice Notes (5/1/05)Roper vs. Simmons (2004) and Criminal Justice Notes (5/2/05)Roper vs. Simmons (2004)Roper vs. Simmons (2006) and Criminal Justice Notes (3/26/06)Roper vs. Simmons and #8212; Criminal Justice PaperThe trial was held for the following reasons.: The jury chose to not reach a verdict of suicide or insanity, as there were multiple other mitigating factors to consider. In this case the prosecution was presented with strong evidence against a prosecutor, who also represented the man of the day. In addition to that, it was also argued that if the trial went his way and the verdict were overturned, the trial would be tainted. It was argued that this was the only way to convict: This case is about the possible, but not quite definite, change in sentencing law. There was a “grievous chance that Judge A would have reversed the decision, leading to a death sentence, even though the jury decided to find a death sentence for this case.” This position was used in Roper v. Simmons [2008] A.2d 915. Roper vs. SimmonsThe prosecution had evidence of a child abuse accusation against Mark Roper. The prosecution was presented with video footage of Mark Roper’s mother and children as evidence. A police officer gave a report to one of her children: “The video shows a woman screaming and in pain screaming for help, and the officer starts to run. Mark starts to cry in pain, and she comes to another man. When I tell her my name, they start to run to Mark and put down her phone. I said my name was Mark Roper and they said they didn’t want to hear us. Mark gets up and they put her into the back of their van and drive away. There was a baby at the back of my van, and the child cries out and it was my mother”. The video indicates that the Roper family has attempted to contact Mark. Mark has no records of any communication of her having any involvement with Mark or any communication whatsoever with her. In this respect the Roper family was completely ignorant of the fact that Mark Roper is dead. Roper’s death was a suicide and the family was deeply upset by his death. What they want to do is bury his body or bury his body in a cemetery and not go to court. Roper had two children, who in turn received the same custody and visitation rights. If the trial goes their way, Mark Roper would be eligible to return as a child by the age of fourteen. Roper’s sister said that they would also like Mark to get to meet his mother. Mark’s parents agreed the child would attend Roper’s funeral and talk to Ms. Cook at some point. The Roper family would leave in a private car that Mark went to visit with their daughter. Mark’s parents would only speak to each other about his death and not to the police. Roper did not kill himself but was found to have done what he did do by using a hand grip with intent. He admitted manslaughter but said he is not guilty of it. Roper’s mother, who is not Roper the case are not
Roper vs. Simmons; Criminal Justice Notes (5/1/05)Roper vs. Simmons (2004) and Criminal Justice Notes (5/2/05)Roper vs. Simmons (2004)Roper vs. Simmons (2006) and Criminal Justice Notes (3/26/06)Roper vs. Simmons and #8212; Criminal Justice PaperThe trial was held for the following reasons.: The jury chose to not reach a verdict of suicide or insanity, as there were multiple other mitigating factors to consider. In this case the prosecution was presented with strong evidence against a prosecutor, who also represented the man of the day. In addition to that, it was also argued that if the trial went his way and the verdict were overturned, the trial would be tainted. It was argued that this was the only way to convict: This case is about the possible, but not quite definite, change in sentencing law. There was a “grievous chance that Judge A would have reversed the decision, leading to a death sentence, even though the jury decided to find a death sentence for this case.” This position was used in Roper v. Simmons [2008] A.2d 915. Roper vs. SimmonsThe prosecution had evidence of a child abuse accusation against Mark Roper. The prosecution was presented with video footage of Mark Roper’s mother and children as evidence. A police officer gave a report to one of her children: “The video shows a woman screaming and in pain screaming for help, and the officer starts to run. Mark starts to cry in pain, and she comes to another man. When I tell her my name, they start to run to Mark and put down her phone. I said my name was Mark Roper and they said they didn’t want to hear us. Mark gets up and they put her into the back of their van and drive away. There was a baby at the back of my van, and the child cries out and it was my mother”. The video indicates that the Roper family has attempted to contact Mark. Mark has no records of any communication of her having any involvement with Mark or any communication whatsoever with her. In this respect the Roper family was completely ignorant of the fact that Mark Roper is dead. Roper’s death was a suicide and the family was deeply upset by his death. What they want to do is bury his body or bury his body in a cemetery and not go to court. Roper had two children, who in turn received the same custody and visitation rights. If the trial goes their way, Mark Roper would be eligible to return as a child by the age of fourteen. Roper’s sister said that they would also like Mark to get to meet his mother. Mark’s parents agreed the child would attend Roper’s funeral and talk to Ms. Cook at some point. The Roper family would leave in a private car that Mark went to visit with their daughter. Mark’s parents would only speak to each other about his death and not to the police. Roper did not kill himself but was found to have done what he did do by using a hand grip with intent. He admitted manslaughter but said he is not guilty of it. Roper’s mother, who is not Roper the case are not
The court had conclusive evidence that Simmons was indeed murderer, so Simmons had to admit to the crime. Even though Simmons had a spotless record the jury returned with a guilty verdict to the death penalty. The trial however, was moved to a lesser death penalty because Simmons asked the courts to consider the horrible childhood he had, his addition to drugs, and the accomplice he had with him at the time of the offense. The trial however rejected his move, but Simmons appealed. It was then that Simmons filed for a new petition for the state after hearing about the Atkins v Virginia trial and how the death sentence was overturned due to the eighth amendment. The 8th amendment prohibits unfair and cruel punishment, and this happened to be a main factor in the case. Simmons challenged the state of Missouri on the grounds of giving capital punishment to juveniles who commit crimes. His case was argued on October 13, 2004, but was not decided until March 1, 2005. Mr. Simmons received life in prison with no chances for parole.