Man guilty of scaring elderly woman to death - Given Life Sentence

[Thickasabrick]

Font Tag CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- A federal jury convicted Larry Whitfield, 20, of literally scaring a woman to death while running from the cops after attempting a bank robbery.

The case involved the death of 79-year-old Mary Parnell, a retired Wachovia officer who was at home September 2008 when Whitfield tried to use her house as a safe haven.

Parnell suffered a heart attack and died. The jury Friday said Whitfield's actions in her home caused her death, though the verdict stopped short of saying he'd killed her.

Investigators said he and McCoy were separated while running from the cops, and Whitfield was trying to change clothes to get away. They believe he entered two homes in the process.

Parnell was dead when her husband found her hours later. The jury found Whitfield not guilty of killing her, but -- in a quirky three part verdict -- voted to place the blame for her death on him. That distinction still means he'll serve a mandatory life sentence.

WTF?? Life Sentence???

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/breaking/story/1068578.html

[virgogal]

1. Good! eom

[vadawg]

3. yup he held her against her will while trying to escape, she died due to his actions

therefore he killed her in the act of kidnapping her, life sentence works, could probuably even have been a capital crime..

[Thickasabrick]

6. He didn't kidnap her - she passed out when she saw him. If he was white

and had a decent lawyer, he would be out in 5-10 years.

[emilyg]

8. If he hadn't tried to rob a bank - he'd be free.

[vadawg]

13. we dont know if he kidnapped her or not, the story is vague

but kidnapping is to illegally stop someones freedom of movement, ie stop her leaving her house or the room she was in.. so kidnapping would be an easy thing to prove if you could show he stopped her freedom of movement..

[Thickasabrick]

15. He never touched her and the medical examiner found no evidence

that he did. He said he told her he was not there to do her any harm but she had a heart attack and didn't call an ambulance.

I get the technicality of all this, but I sincerely believe that if this guy had a decent lawyer and had been white - there is no way he would have gotten life.

[vadawg]

16. he dosent have to touch her, all he has to do is stop freedom of movement by being there

an implied threat is enough. if i was working this case i could easily see kidnap as a charge though it was the feds who prosecuted it...

[Thickasabrick]

17. Well....evidently this young man is not too bright...the bank they

were trying to rob saw them coming and locked the doors. He's 21 so at least he doesn't have to worry about getting a job or being fed the rest of his life.

[vadawg]

19. lol your name describes him to a T, at least the idiot wont be in a position to rob any more banks

you can be pretty sure if hes tryig to rob banks then hes been involved in other criminal enterprises. would be intering to see if hes involved with a gang or not....

[treestar]

2. Life sentence goes too far

It was not intentional.

[vadawg]

5. dosent matter, he killed her accidently whilst in the commission of another crime

just the same as if he ran someone over whilst fleeing the attempted robbery..

[tabasco]

4. Well-deserved sentence.

You take your victims as you find them.

[dsc]

7. kidnapping has carried a life sentence for years

the heart attack is a wrinkle and might have lead to the actual imposition of the sentence but otherwise wasn't relevent.

[Thickasabrick]

9. Explain how breaking into someone's house is kidnapping? nt

[vadawg]

12. if you are in the house and you cant leave then thats kidnapping

this story dosent give a lot of details but by him taking safe haven in her house and if they could prove that he blocked her exit then its kidnapping..

[dsc]

14. easy

he had a weapon and prevented her from leaving. That is kidnapping under any legal standard.

[vadawg]

11. in some places if someone dies during the kidnapping then its a capital offence.

and it dosent matter how they died whether you shoot them or they drop dead from fright...

[imdjh]

10. What would he have gotten for armed robbery? Was he still armed when he entered Parnell's home?

Just curious, if there is any point in his appealing the verdict.

[greennina]

18. It isn't as if he had a gun.

Then he'd deserve to never be free again. Those gun owners are all nuts. It was an accident with no intent. That doesn't deserve a punishment like that.

[vadawg]

20. lol you do realise that he tried to rob a bank first and was on the run

hes not some kid who accidently walked into a neighbours yard. Yes he deserves the punishment he got, he committed the crimes... you do realise that he was also convicted on firearms charges.

[pipoman]

22. If this isn't sarcasm, you are either young and

naive or scary nutty.

[Sultana]

21. Just another day in America

move along folks nothing to see here....

[proteus_lives]

23. Good, he belongs in prison for the rest of his life.