I can't understand why any prosecutor in his right mind charges anything as a hate crime.
A&B with a dangerous weapon is a felony punishable by up to 10 years in the state pen. All I have to prove is that a defendant struck someone with an instrument capable of causing serious injury--a kick from a shod foot is enough. I don't have to prove anything else. To prove some sort of A&B D/W as a hate crime, I also have to prove that you're part of some protected group or class, and that the defendant assaulted you because, and only because, you're a member of that group or class.
I'll take the straight A&B D/W for $1000, Alex.
Thgis California case is a real hoot. First degree murder in the Land of Fruits and Nuts is punishable by death via lethal injection. So, what does making it a crime to commit premeditated murder as a hate crime do to increase the penalty and serve to further deter people from killing other people?
