Probably, at some point of our lives, we’ve had a huge liking towards crime investigation series where murder mysteries get uncovered and the culprit goes to jail. Seems like an easy thing, right? Well, in most cases it’s far from easy. To identify the type of murder is going to be a hefty task for the authorities and judiciary, just to decide whether the individual would be spending his time behind bars or hanged to death. These types consist of first degree, second degree and third degree murders.
First degree murders are premeditated, intentional murders or a felony murder whereas second degree murders are unplanned, intentional murders or a murder caused by reckless disregard for human life. Third degree murders or better known as manslaughter, is an unplanned, unintentional killing that can be either voluntary or involuntary.
Well, the identification of the type of murder was what caused this murderer to not go to jail. On 15th January, a Johor-born restaurant owner in New York, Ng Thang Kheong was brutally murdered by his attacker, Arthur Martunovich using a hammer! While everyone would have thought that justice would be served, the current developments of this case state otherwise. Apparently, the murderer is not being charged with first-degree murder, second-degree murder and second-degree murder as a hate crime!
This decision was made after his mental health condition came to light and according to News12, he has been receiving mental health treatment since he was captured. As a consequence, he would be transferred to undergo treatment and in 2019, Martunovich pleaded not guilty. Albeit this, based on the surveillance video of the incident, he might be convicted to life imprisonment without parole.
The victims’ family members were definitely not pleased with this leading to them voicing out their dissatisfaction — leading to a meeting with the Brooklyn District Attorney on Monday to see what other options they may have. This is totally understandable as Asian hate crimes are quite rampant in the United States of America. They hope that Matunovich is sent to a maximum-security institution and be imprisoned for a while before being considered for release.
Well, let’s really hope justice would be served for the family. It must be tough going through this and we hope the culprit would be put behind bars!
Source: News24
