Three students—Johnson, Hector, and Rajana—hate school. On Monday, they discuss a plan to commit arson and burn down their school. On Tuesday, the three of them purchase kerosene and matches at the local hardware store. On Wednesday, Johnson, Hector, and Rajana load the kerosene and matches into Hector’s truck and drive together to the school. They carry the kerosene and matches towards the school, pour kerosene near the school and light a match. A police officer notices them and runs over to arrest them.
a. At what point, if any, are Johnson, Hector, and Rajana guilty of the crime of conspiracy in most states? b. At what point, if any, are Johnson, Hector, and Rajana guilty of the crime of attempted arson?
c. Assume that Johnson changes his mind and decides not to participate in the arson after he goes to the hardware store with Hector and Rajana to purchase the kerosene and matches. Could he be charged with any crime? If so, what crime?
Answers
Answer:
Sorry! I don't understand
According to the passage, the answers to the given questions will be
a) Johnson, Hector and Rajana are not guilty of the crime of conspiracy at any point. They have been arrested by a police officer but they don't even realize that they were planning to execute a crime.
b) Johnson, Hector and Rajana are not guilty of the crime of arson at any point. They have planned the execution of the crime very effectively. They even proceeded to attempt it which does not reveal their guilt.
c) Assuming that Johnson changes his mind and decides not to participate in the arson after he goes to the hardware store with Hector and Rajana to purchase the kerosene and matches, he could be charged with the crime of conspiracy. In this case, the punishment will be less severe in comparison to the punishment which would have been given after committing the crime.