5 Murderers Who Did Not Kill Anybody

1Lakeith Smith

In 2015, 16-year-old A’Donte Washington was killed during a shootout with Alabama police officers. Washington was part of a five-man gang that broke into two homes and stole a car. The gang was fleeing the crime scene when they were chased by police officers. During the chase, 19-year-old Jhavarske Jackson shot at officers as they closed in on the gang, and the police returned fire, killing Washington. Police later said Washington was shot because he also had a gun. While it was obvious that Washington was shot and killed by the police, it was Lakeith Smith, another gang member who was 15 years old at the time of the shooting, who received a 30-year sentence for the death of Washington. He also received another 35-year sentence for burglary. Under Alabama law, a criminal can be prosecuted for any death that occurred during a crime, even if they were not the one who killed the person. Smith would have received a 25-year sentence for the murder and burglary charges if he had agreed to a plea deal. However, he refused it, while the other gang members agreed

2Mervin Bettis

In 2011, 36-year-old shoplifter Mervin Bettis was apprehended as he attempted stealing from a Target store in Florida. He was caught by Russell Horner, a former FBI agent and security officer who worked at the store. Horner had just handcuffed Bettis when he had a heart attack that would later kill him. Bettis was charged with third-degree murder for Horner’s death. Under Florida law, a criminal can be charged with first- or second-degree murder if a person died during a violent crime they committed or third-degree murder if the death occurred during a nonviolent crime. Bettis received a five-year sentence for a “murder” he never committed

3Ryan Holle

Ryan Holle is in prison for the murder of 18-year-old Jessica Snyder. This is even though he was not the murderer and was 2.4 kilometers (1.5 mi) away at the time of the murder. However, Holle was found guilty of first-degree murder because he had given his roommate, Billy Allen, the keys to his car. Allen and his gang used the car to travel to Snyder’s home, where gang mate Charles Miller murdered her. In 2003, Billy Allen, Donnie Williams, Charles Miller, and Jermond Thomas drove to Snyder’s home in Pensacola, Florida, to steal a safe they claimed contained $20,000 in cash and some jewelry. The men had planned the operation in Holle’s presence before Allen borrowed his car. They even mentioned that they would kill Snyder, who was Allen’s girlfriend, if they found her at home. They found Snyder at home, and Miller smashed her head repeatedly with the butt of a shotgun that was on a nearby wall. The men got the safe and fled back to Holle’s home. However, they were arrested after concerned neighbors called the police because the gang had made a lot of noise while trying to break the safe. The four robbers and Holle were charged with murder under the Felony Murder Rule. In his defense, Holle said he never believed the others were really going to rob Snyder’s home or kill her. Unfortunately, that was not enough to convince the jury. He barely missed a death sentence and received life without parole.[3] This was later commuted to a 25-year sentence.

4Tevin Louis

Tevin Louis and Marquise Sampson of Chicago were best friends who helped each other out in everything, including crime. Things took a bad turn for the duo in 2012, when they made off with $1,200 from a restaurant. Officers went after the two boys after they fled. However, Louis and Sampson had split up. Police had little luck with Louis, but an officer caught up with Sampson and gave chase. Sampson was shot during the pursuit. Louis later arrived at the scene of the shooting, where he was arrested for crossing the police line. Police initially charged Louis with disorderly conduct until they discovered that he was Sampson’s accomplice. Then they charged him with first-degree murder. Louis got 32 years for the robbery and 20 years for Sampson’s death.

5Kristoffer Thomas Craft

In 2017, 36-year-old Kristoffer Thomas Craft of Leonard, Texas, crashed his truck as he drank and made phone calls while driving. With him in the truck was his seven-year-old son, Colton Craft, who was seated in the front seat and was not wearing a seat belt. Craft crawled out of the wreckage. However, what happened next was unprecedented. Instead of rescuing his son, who was still stuck inside the truck, Craft proceeded to rescue his cans of beer that had spilled on the road. He also stopped witnesses from helping Colton or calling 911 and tried to flee the scene. Craft was charged with felony murder after Colton died of his injuries.During Craft’s trial, it was revealed that he had previously crashed his truck while drinking and driving. The officer who responded to the accident told the court he found almost 100 beer cans around the vehicle. It was obvious that Craft was trying to clear the accident scene so that police would not know he was drinking and driving.However, Craft denied killing his son and had his lawyers convince the judge and jury that the incident was second-degree manslaughter and not murder. Craft received an 18-year sentence for manslaughter

source http://listverse.com/2018/12/03/10-murderers-who-did-not-kill-anybody/