Book'em DANNO/ Or not

[RobertScorpio]

If someone were to admit to a murder by use of magical powers could they go to jail?

The victim is found, dead; mauled to death. You hand yourself over to the police. You tell them that you did a spell, and commanded four dog, dogs you do not own, to attack and kill someone. You even demonsrate this ablility by taking the D.A, Judge, or police, heck even CNN, and you tell them to bring four random dogs.

You stand up and do somekind of spell in, oh, latin or something like that, and the Dogs attack a dummy. They were peaceful dogs, then they heard your words, and they attacked the dummy.

Now that you have shown your ability to control the minds of these animals, via your spell, could you now be arrested for the murder? Or would such demonstration of your ability, which no known science could prove, not be allowed in trial and would you get aquitted? And I mean in the western world, since some parts of the world still stone people to death for what is percieved the ability to use black magik.

Rob

 

[Lapis Exilis]

Interesting question - I'm assuming you're interested in this for fiction rather than reality. (If you can command dogs to kill people, I'd really rather not know that...)

There's probably some law about inciting violent behavior in an animal. No doubt people have been convicted for murder using dogs or other animals to do the actual killing. The only tricky thing would be proving that the person in question did the inciting, but if you were dumb enough to confess and show how you did it, I imagine they could throw you in jail. A confession, completely lacking other evidence, is often plenty to convict people.

 

[auntiehill]

Of course they would go to jail. If you purposely caused someone else's death, you have committed murder. By demonstrating HOW you did it, you have confessed--and would assume that they filmed your demonstration. That would be enough for any jury, I would imagine.