# iowa prisoner dies for a few seconds and was revive says he completed life sentence court disagrees **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 8, 2019, 10:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iowa-prisoner-dies-for-a-few-seconds-and-was-revive-says-he-completed-life-sentence-court-disagrees/843170 "2019-11-08T10:00:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2019, 10:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iowa-prisoner-dies-for-a-few-seconds-and-was-revive-says-he-completed-life-sentence-court-disagrees/843170/1 "2019-11-08T10:00:07Z")
heres the story…[MSN](https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/iowan-convicted-of-murder-claims-his-life-sentence-was-served-once-he-died-was-revived-in-medical-emergency-the-court-disagrees/ar-BBWqiZN?li=BBnbfcL) I guess ya can’t blame a guy for trying but if he had the DNR and his family said not to bring him back I think he can win a separate lawsuit … dont know what hed gain from it tho … ---
**Author:** ![mako88sb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@mako88sb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mako88sb)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2019, 10:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iowa-prisoner-dies-for-a-few-seconds-and-was-revive-says-he-completed-life-sentence-court-disagrees/843170/2 "2019-11-08T10:37:25Z")
There’s a Da Vinci’s Inquest episode about that same topic. Available on youtube. Season 3, episode 2 although there’s other things going on besides that so it actually only takes up a small portion of the show. Still interesting to watch from the Canadian law point of view. Great series btw if you’re not familiar with it. ---
**Author:** ![DrCube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a3d4f5/32.png) [@DrCube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrCube)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2019, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iowa-prisoner-dies-for-a-few-seconds-and-was-revive-says-he-completed-life-sentence-court-disagrees/843170/3 "2019-11-08T17:32:03Z")
I hate that trope. Nobody dies and comes back to life. If they’re still alive, they couldn’t have been dead. They are mutually exclusive scenarios. Once you die, you’re dead forever. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2019, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iowa-prisoner-dies-for-a-few-seconds-and-was-revive-says-he-completed-life-sentence-court-disagrees/843170/4 "2019-11-08T17:39:09Z")
> [@DrCube](#): > > I hate that trope. Nobody dies and comes back to life. If they’re still alive, they couldn’t have been dead. They are mutually exclusive scenarios. Once you die, you’re dead forever. He was clinically dead. His heart wasn’t beating and his lungs weren’t pumping. Brain activity ceased. If he was just left in that state forever, there’s be no question that he was dead. We have just advanced medical knowledge far enough that we were able to turn those processes back on. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2019, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iowa-prisoner-dies-for-a-few-seconds-and-was-revive-says-he-completed-life-sentence-court-disagrees/843170/5 "2019-11-08T17:40:45Z")
Nice try, pal! LOL Almost dying and actually dying are far from being the same thing. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2019, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iowa-prisoner-dies-for-a-few-seconds-and-was-revive-says-he-completed-life-sentence-court-disagrees/843170/6 "2019-11-08T17:41:31Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > He was clinically dead. His heart wasn’t beating and his lungs weren’t pumping. Brain activity ceased. If he was just left in that state forever, there’s be no question that he was dead. We have just advanced medical knowledge far enough that we were able to turn those processes back on. Heart- sure Lungs - OK Brain activity? No. It was still working. ---
**Author:** ![DrCube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a3d4f5/32.png) [@DrCube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrCube)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2019, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iowa-prisoner-dies-for-a-few-seconds-and-was-revive-says-he-completed-life-sentence-court-disagrees/843170/7 "2019-11-08T17:49:13Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > He was clinically dead. His heart wasn’t beating and his lungs weren’t pumping. Brain activity ceased. If he was just left in that state forever, there’s be no question that he was dead. We have just advanced medical knowledge far enough that we were able to turn those processes back on. Dead means, medically and legally, brain dead. And there’s no coming back from that. So your heart stopped and you were unconscious? So what, that happens to a lot of people who go on to live full lives afterwards. That doesn’t mean you died. And if you leave anybody in any state a few days without water or shelter, there’s no question they’d be dead, too. But just because they might have eventually died if left that way doesn’t mean they _did_ die. ---
**Author:** ![Hermitian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hermitian/32/470_2.png) [@Hermitian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hermitian)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2019, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iowa-prisoner-dies-for-a-few-seconds-and-was-revive-says-he-completed-life-sentence-court-disagrees/843170/8 "2019-11-08T17:52:08Z")
I interpret a “life sentence” to mean: if you are still alive, you are in prison. He is still alive, so in prison he goes. ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2019, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iowa-prisoner-dies-for-a-few-seconds-and-was-revive-says-he-completed-life-sentence-court-disagrees/843170/9 "2019-11-08T17:54:11Z")
Was a death certificate issued? If not, not legally dead. Brian ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2019, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iowa-prisoner-dies-for-a-few-seconds-and-was-revive-says-he-completed-life-sentence-court-disagrees/843170/10 "2019-11-08T18:08:39Z")
> [@DrCube](#): > > Dead means, medically and legally, brain dead. And there’s no coming back from that. So your heart stopped and you were unconscious? So what, that happens to a lot of people who go on to live full lives afterwards. That doesn’t mean you died. It just so happens that your friend here is only MOSTLY dead. There’s a big difference between mostly dead and all dead. Mostly dead is slightly alive. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2019, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iowa-prisoner-dies-for-a-few-seconds-and-was-revive-says-he-completed-life-sentence-court-disagrees/843170/11 "2019-11-08T18:18:13Z")
> [@Jasmine](#): > > Almost dying and actually dying are far from being the same thing. Tell that to Miracle Max. And if you bring him a nice, lean MLT, you might get a faster answer. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2019, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iowa-prisoner-dies-for-a-few-seconds-and-was-revive-says-he-completed-life-sentence-court-disagrees/843170/12 "2019-11-08T18:32:19Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > It just so happens that your friend here is only MOSTLY dead. There’s a big difference between mostly dead and all dead. Mostly dead is slightly alive. Did they go through his pockets for loose change? ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2019, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iowa-prisoner-dies-for-a-few-seconds-and-was-revive-says-he-completed-life-sentence-court-disagrees/843170/13 "2019-11-08T19:16:05Z")
This is just as ‘‘viable’’ an argument as saying that if you’re scheduled to be executed and the electric chair blows a fuse when they try to turn it on, your death sentence is no longer valid. ---
**Author:** ![RioRico](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f04885/32.png) [@RioRico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RioRico)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2019, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iowa-prisoner-dies-for-a-few-seconds-and-was-revive-says-he-completed-life-sentence-court-disagrees/843170/14 "2019-11-08T19:28:16Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > Did they go through his pockets for loose change? “He’s DEAD, Jim! You grab his Rolex; I’ll take his wallet.” ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2019, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iowa-prisoner-dies-for-a-few-seconds-and-was-revive-says-he-completed-life-sentence-court-disagrees/843170/15 "2019-11-08T21:55:43Z")
It’s been done before. Jerry Rosenberg tried this back in 1988. It didn’t work. ---
**Author:** ![Paintcharge](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/paintcharge/32/7946_2.png) [@Paintcharge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paintcharge)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2019, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iowa-prisoner-dies-for-a-few-seconds-and-was-revive-says-he-completed-life-sentence-court-disagrees/843170/16 "2019-11-08T22:30:48Z")
Isn’t a life sentence 100 years? ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2019, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iowa-prisoner-dies-for-a-few-seconds-and-was-revive-says-he-completed-life-sentence-court-disagrees/843170/17 "2019-11-09T01:15:48Z")
“Schreiber is either still alive, in which case he must remain in prison, or he is actually dead, in which case this appeal is moot,” Judge Amanda Potterfield wrote in the court of appeals opinion. Schrodinger’s Prisoner. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2019, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iowa-prisoner-dies-for-a-few-seconds-and-was-revive-says-he-completed-life-sentence-court-disagrees/843170/18 "2019-11-09T03:48:47Z")
> [@Paintcharge](#): > > Isn’t a life sentence 100 years? Only if you time it right. ---
**Author:** ![ASL\_v2.0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asl_v2.0/32/3525_2.png) [@ASL\_v2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASL_v2.0)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2019, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iowa-prisoner-dies-for-a-few-seconds-and-was-revive-says-he-completed-life-sentence-court-disagrees/843170/19 "2019-11-09T04:37:25Z")
> [@Paintcharge](#): > > Isn’t a life sentence 100 years? Are you perhaps basing this on the common law doctrine of a [99-year lease](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/99-year_lease)? ETA: Because it doesn’t apply to a life sentence. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2019, 10:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iowa-prisoner-dies-for-a-few-seconds-and-was-revive-says-he-completed-life-sentence-court-disagrees/843170/20 "2019-11-09T10:53:35Z")
> [@DrCube](#): > > Dead means, medically and legally, brain dead. And there’s no coming back from that. So your heart stopped and you were unconscious? So what, that happens to a lot of people who go on to live full lives afterwards. That doesn’t mean you died. > > And if you leave anybody in any state a few days without water or shelter, there’s no question they’d be dead, too. But just because they might have eventually died if left that way doesn’t mean they _did_ die. The idea that “dead” is binary condition, either “dead” or “not dead” is not really a current medical belief for the doctors I know. Doctors are sometimes required to make legal declarations. And they are sometimes required to make administrative decisions. And moral and social decisions. That doesn’t really turn it into a scientific description. Medically, death is a continuum. You have cells dying all the time. Some of your cells will continue living in an hypoxic environment for a while. Some of your cells will remain oxygenated for a while. Some of your cells die quite quickly after you stop breathing. Medically, this is an important distinction, because your medical treatment depends not just on if your brain cells are dead, but on what other cells are dead: they don’t go on trying to bring your finger nail clippings back to life, or attach your dead finger, just because you haven’t been declared dead. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iowa-prisoner-dies-for-a-few-seconds-and-was-revive-says-he-completed-life-sentence-court-disagrees/843170.md?page=2)