# So if you want to kill someone and get a light sentence, get drunk and use your car **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 12, 2010, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-if-you-want-to-kill-someone-and-get-a-light-sentence-get-drunk-and-use-your-car/532212 "2010-03-12T06:20:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2010, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-if-you-want-to-kill-someone-and-get-a-light-sentence-get-drunk-and-use-your-car/532212/21 "2010-03-12T18:04:43Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > I wonder how this strategy would compare with the plan I am currently executing: not killing people. > > Maybe I should do a study. Fool! Some people need to be killed, and now that I realize I can get off relatively lightly if I simply run them over with my car, I think I’ll devise a list. I must choose wisely, however, as this trick works best if I only use it once. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2010, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-if-you-want-to-kill-someone-and-get-a-light-sentence-get-drunk-and-use-your-car/532212/22 "2010-03-12T18:16:53Z")
> [@MeanOldLady](#): > > I must choose wisely, however, as this trick works best if I only use it once. Lest you be labeled “accident proned”. ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2010, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-if-you-want-to-kill-someone-and-get-a-light-sentence-get-drunk-and-use-your-car/532212/23 "2010-03-12T18:25:29Z")
> [@RandMcnally](#): > > It’s not because they forgot that they shouldn’t drive drunk, but because they simply don’t care. Actually, it’s simply because they’re drunk. It’s not an excuse, but it _is_ the reason. ---
**Author:** ![Roland\_Orzabal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c2a13f/32.png) [@Roland\_Orzabal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roland_Orzabal)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2010, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-if-you-want-to-kill-someone-and-get-a-light-sentence-get-drunk-and-use-your-car/532212/24 "2010-03-12T19:57:49Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > I wonder how this strategy would compare with the plan I am currently executing: not killing people. [Been tried](http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/102109dnmetexoneration.23aec454c.html), [doesn’t work](http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=90172724). Looks like you’re 3 - 5 times better off with the drunk driving. Besides, it’s a lot more fun. ---
**Author:** ![ataraxy22](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ataraxy22/32/307_2.png) [@ataraxy22](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ataraxy22)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2010, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-if-you-want-to-kill-someone-and-get-a-light-sentence-get-drunk-and-use-your-car/532212/25 "2010-03-13T02:10:44Z")
I think they should do a sentence to measure sentence length compared to the number of miles on the car. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2010, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-if-you-want-to-kill-someone-and-get-a-light-sentence-get-drunk-and-use-your-car/532212/26 "2010-03-13T03:02:41Z")
> [@RandMcnally](#): > > But it isn’t an accident. We all know drunk driving is bad. We all know how to avoid driving drunk. And yet people still do it. It’s not because they forgot that they shouldn’t drive drunk, but because they simply don’t care. The fact that you killed someone while driving drunk does not mean you killed someone _because_ you were driving drunk. ---
**Author:** ![Death\_of\_Rats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a6a055/32.png) [@Death\_of\_Rats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Death_of_Rats)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2010, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-if-you-want-to-kill-someone-and-get-a-light-sentence-get-drunk-and-use-your-car/532212/27 "2010-03-13T16:39:13Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > I wonder how this strategy would compare with the plan I am currently executing: not killing people. > > Maybe I should do a study. Well, for one it does not allow you to kill nearly as many people as the new plan. Guess it depends on what your goals are. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2010, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-if-you-want-to-kill-someone-and-get-a-light-sentence-get-drunk-and-use-your-car/532212/28 "2010-03-13T17:43:45Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > At least, that’s the message I’m getting from the sentences that people get for killing someone while driving drunk - five years? And out in 2 and a half for good behaviour after serving your sentence in a light security jail? Too bad the person you killed while driving loaded is dead **forever**. Maybe a legal type can explain to me why these sentences are as light as they are, because I feel like I’m missing something here. But if I’m drunk then I might kill the wrong person. Look, despite how outraged people get over this, it is still an unintentional homicide. It’s not, as I’m sure you’re sarcastically implying, people take this route because they want to kill someone for kicks and not get punished. So what is the sentence “light” in comparison with? If I’m drunk and I accidentally drop a hammer out the window killing someone, should I be charged with 1st degree murder? ---
**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2010, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-if-you-want-to-kill-someone-and-get-a-light-sentence-get-drunk-and-use-your-car/532212/29 "2010-03-13T19:23:22Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > At least, that’s the message I’m getting from the sentences that people get for killing someone while driving drunk - five years? And out in 2 and a half for good behaviour after serving your sentence in a light security jail? Too bad the person you killed while driving loaded is dead **forever**. Maybe a legal type can explain to me why these sentences are as light as they are, because I feel like I’m missing something here. IANAL nor do I play one on TV, but I am pretty sure the reason why the crime is so lightly punished is that there was never an intent to kill. The lack of I think its called mens rea (guilty mind) means basically, it was an accident. A soccer mom dealing with an unruly screaming 3 year old could be just as impaired by her situation as a drunk driver, do we send her to the big house for hitting someone? ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2010, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-if-you-want-to-kill-someone-and-get-a-light-sentence-get-drunk-and-use-your-car/532212/30 "2010-03-13T19:31:30Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > The fact that you killed someone while driving drunk does not mean you killed someone _because_ you were driving drunk. Indeed, this is true. I actualy won a vehicular homicide trial once because, although my client was very drunk, that was not the cause of the collision. He got he maximum sentence (1 year) for DUI, but the Judge found him not guilty of the vehicular homicide (we waived our right to a jury for obvious reasons) FYI, he has become one of the most responsible citizens you could ever meet. A longer sentence might have actually caused more harm than good. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2010, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-if-you-want-to-kill-someone-and-get-a-light-sentence-get-drunk-and-use-your-car/532212/31 "2010-03-13T19:45:10Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > But if I’m drunk then I might kill the wrong person. > > Look, despite how outraged people get over this, it is still an unintentional homicide. It’s not, as I’m sure you’re sarcastically implying, people take this route because they want to kill someone for kicks and not get punished. So what is the sentence “light” in comparison with? If I’m drunk and I accidentally drop a hammer out the window killing someone, should I be charged with 1st degree murder? I was just discussing this with my husband, a safety officer, and he agrees that you probably won’t even see a fine (your company might have to explain that they have policies in place to prevent this, but you snuck through the cracks); once again, if you want to do shitty things and get away with them, do them while drunk. I am SO not agreeing with this mentality - unless someone poured all those drinks down your throat against your will, you’re still responsible for what you do while drunk. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2010, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-if-you-want-to-kill-someone-and-get-a-light-sentence-get-drunk-and-use-your-car/532212/32 "2010-03-13T20:38:20Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > I was just discussing this with my husband, a safety officer, and he agrees that you probably won’t even see a fine (your company might have to explain that they have policies in place to prevent this, but you snuck through the cracks); once again, if you want to do shitty things and get away with them, do them while drunk. I am SO not agreeing with this mentality - unless someone poured all those drinks down your throat against your will, you’re still responsible for what you do while drunk. You aren’t even making sense. If you really wanted to get away with it, you would kill someone driving while you were sober. Then you wouldn’t even get a DUI charge. ---
**Author:** ![dudemanjack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/49beb7/32.png) [@dudemanjack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dudemanjack)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2010, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-if-you-want-to-kill-someone-and-get-a-light-sentence-get-drunk-and-use-your-car/532212/33 "2010-03-14T00:05:58Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > At least, that’s the message I’m getting from the sentences that people get for killing someone while driving drunk - five years? And out in 2 and a half for good behaviour after serving your sentence in a light security jail? Too bad the person you killed while driving loaded is dead **forever**. Maybe a legal type can explain to me why these sentences are as light as they are, because I feel like I’m missing something here. You think five years is light? Try 30 days. > **[Browns' Donte Stallworth Gets 30 Days for DUI](https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=7867036&page=1)** > > Donte Stallworth is serving a 30-sentence for a man's drunk driving death. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2010, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-if-you-want-to-kill-someone-and-get-a-light-sentence-get-drunk-and-use-your-car/532212/34 "2010-03-14T01:36:51Z")
> [@todderbob](#): > > _laaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaame._ ffffffffffffffffuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu ---
**Author:** ![JXJohns](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jxjohns/32/469_2.png) [@JXJohns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JXJohns)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2010, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-if-you-want-to-kill-someone-and-get-a-light-sentence-get-drunk-and-use-your-car/532212/35 "2010-03-14T02:20:21Z")
This was the plot in an episdoe of Quincy ME season 7, episode 5. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2010, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-if-you-want-to-kill-someone-and-get-a-light-sentence-get-drunk-and-use-your-car/532212/36 "2010-03-14T04:05:41Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > You aren’t even making sense. If you really wanted to get away with it, you would kill someone driving while you were sober. Then you wouldn’t even get a DUI charge. Good point. > [@dudemanjack](#): > > You think five years is light? Try 30 days. > > [Browns' Donte Stallworth Gets 30 Days for DUI - ABC News](http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=7867036&page=1) Yeah, well, the latest criminal on the news here isn’t famous, so he got the Non-Celebrity or Sports Star sentencing. ETA: Forgot to say, I was discussing this with my husband, and he made the point that the guy who killed someone while driving drunk on a suspended license committed a crime when he drove to the bar, and you could argue that it was premeditated, because he drove to the bar with the intent to get drunk and drive home. ---
**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2010, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-if-you-want-to-kill-someone-and-get-a-light-sentence-get-drunk-and-use-your-car/532212/37 "2010-03-14T15:22:13Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > But if I’m drunk then I might kill the wrong person. Or even: > [@Robert A. Heinlein](#): > > Be wary of strong drink. It can make you shoot at tax collectors… and miss. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Miskatonic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.miskatonic/32/310_2.png) [@Mr.Miskatonic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Miskatonic)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2010, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-if-you-want-to-kill-someone-and-get-a-light-sentence-get-drunk-and-use-your-car/532212/38 "2010-03-14T16:35:02Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > You aren’t even making sense. If you really wanted to get away with it, you would kill someone driving while you were sober. Then you wouldn’t even get a DUI charge. Yup. ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2010, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-if-you-want-to-kill-someone-and-get-a-light-sentence-get-drunk-and-use-your-car/532212/39 "2010-03-14T16:40:02Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > Yeah, well, the latest criminal on the news here isn’t famous, so he got the Non-Celebrity or Sports Star sentencing. A common claim, but celebrities [don’t actually](http://www.allacademic.com/one/www/research/index.php?cmd=www_search&offset=0&limit=5&multi_search_search_mode=publication&multi_search_publication_fulltext_mod=fulltext&textfield_submit=true&search_module=multi_search&search=Search&search_field=title_idx&fulltext_search=%3Cb%3ECelebrities+in+the+Courtroom%3A+Legal+Responses%2C+Psychological+Theory%2C+and+Empirical+Research%3C%2Fb%3E&PHPSESSID=a3a41a0293cd74c71c4433c29a837b34) get any better treatment than regular folk. In fact, in DUI cases, they get the same sentences but end up serving more of it than the average. > [@](#): > > The results from an original study found that celebrity and non-celebrity defendants did not received differential treatment. Following from this study, the paper concludes that the legal system may not need to implement extreme legal measures that are designed to abate the alleged presence of celebrity influence in the court. ---
**Author:** ![Daylate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9dc877/32.png) [@Daylate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daylate)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2010, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-if-you-want-to-kill-someone-and-get-a-light-sentence-get-drunk-and-use-your-car/532212/40 "2010-03-14T19:14:00Z")
> [@](#): > > So if you want to kill someone and get a light sentence, get drunk and use your car Or you could move to the State of Washington, the land of Compassionate Judges. The Seattle Times had two stories last week about the sentences meted out to several first degree murderers. Both sentences were for slighty over twenty years. And with parole, the actually time served will probably be in the range of 8 - 10 years. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-if-you-want-to-kill-someone-and-get-a-light-sentence-get-drunk-and-use-your-car/532212.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-if-you-want-to-kill-someone-and-get-a-light-sentence-get-drunk-and-use-your-car/532212.md?page=3)