Okay, here, I looked up the specifics. In Illinois, where I live, negligent homicide is a Class 2 Felony, with a maximum of 14 or 28 years, depending on case details. Source.
I’m not a lawyer, but instead a layman. That said, I argue that based on the law as cited, the parents had no lawful justification, and that their actions carried a high likelihood of death. Obviously a lawyer making such an argument in court would by necessity have to back that up, especially if they trotted out religious nonsense as a “lawful justification,” but that’s what they get paid for.
A person who kills an individual without lawful justification commits first degree murder if, in performing the acts which cause the death:
(2) he or she knows that such acts create a strong probability of death or great bodily harm to that individual or another;
Mens rei is a thing. For murder you need to prove they intended the result, not just that they intended the action.
That’s why charges like negligent homicide exist.
They won’t stop doing it if they don’t suffer real consequences. Murder 1, life in prison.
…do you think a negligent homicide verdict doesn’t have consequences?
Okay, here, I looked up the specifics. In Illinois, where I live, negligent homicide is a Class 2 Felony, with a maximum of 14 or 28 years, depending on case details. Source.
1st Degree Murder is 60 years. Source.
I’m not a lawyer, but instead a layman. That said, I argue that based on the law as cited, the parents had no lawful justification, and that their actions carried a high likelihood of death. Obviously a lawyer making such an argument in court would by necessity have to back that up, especially if they trotted out religious nonsense as a “lawful justification,” but that’s what they get paid for.