Assignmentt Paper

Unit 4: Defining Judgment—Abridged March 31, 2020

For this essay, you will write a 2-3 page essay that defines the verdict you reach as a jury member. On April 7, after careful and thoughtful deliberation, you will email me what verdict you reach. To write your essay, you must define one of the following verdicts: self defense, voluntary manslaughter, or murder. Focus on the specific criteria for each of the verdicts. Your essay should demonstrate an understanding of writing a definition, including a thesis statement, explanation of verdict’s definition, and evidence (examples) supporting the verdict. This essay is worth a possible 100 points. By now, you should have already downloaded The Trial materials , which further explains the process for completing this assignment, including the following: Your task is to determine which of the three levels of taking a life (murder, voluntary manslaughter, and self-defense) this case meets best. You must examine the criteria of the three types of killing and then the facts and testimonies from the case. Discuss the events of the case and try to determine what really happened. Where are the testimonies consistent? Where are they different? Which testimonies are more credible? Why? Your writing task is to explain how you have classified (defined) this incident. You must explain, using examples, how it meets the criteria of your verdict. Remember, the fate of another human being is in your hands, so your essay must be thoughtful, clear, and well documented. In your essay, you might want to consider issues such as: 1. Did the defendant have any alternatives to killing John Tyler? If so, what were they? How do they affect your verdict? 2. The definition for Voluntary Manslaughter refers to being “seriously provoked.” Why do you say that the defendant was or was not seriously provoked? How does this affect your verdict? 3. Study the details of the witnesses’ backgrounds and testimony. Do they affect the credibility of the testimonies? How does this affect your verdict? Read pages assigned on the syllabus. Format your essay as follows: one inch margins, Times New Roman and font at 12 pt., double space with 0 space before and after paragraphs. First four lines of the essay are on the left side of the page and are your name, my name, course name, and date. Fifth line is essay title, and it is centered.