Reference no: EM132160087

Late one night after drinking heavily, Arnold and Carter decided that they would rob the local all-night convenience store. They drove Arnold’s truck to the store, entered, and yelled, “This is a stickup,” while brandishing their unloaded pistols. They discovered that the only persons in the store were Fred, who worked at the store, a customer, who was named Cher. Arnold became enraged, since he regarded Cher as his steady girlfriend and was jealous that she had been spending time with Fred. Arnold announced, “I'm going to chill these lovers out,” and loaded them into his truck. Arnold drove a very short distance down the dirt road behind the store to a large refrigerator. Arnold locked Cher and Fred in the refrigerator. Arnold then returned to the store to pick up Carter, who took $250 from the cash register on his way out of the store.

The next day, the store manager saw that things were amiss and called police, who rescued Cher and Fred. Cher suffered no significant injury, but Fred soon developed pneumonia and died as a result of it several weeks later. The coroner’s report showed that Fred had an extraordinary susceptibility to pneumonia.

What criminal charges, if any, should be brought against Arnold and Carter? Discuss. 

What defenses, if any, do Arnold and Carter have to the criminal charges? Discuss.