Getting away with murder

Canada
January 4, 2013 11:01pm CST
I was doing research for an old jail that was turned into a museum. I was reading about one of the inmates who was released after his court hearing back in the late 1800's. He killed an old lady outside his house. His defense was that he thought he had seen a ghost outside his window and he went outside to hit it with an ax. He struck the old lady and killed her. So they believed his story and released him. My question is why would you even strike a ghost with an axe.
2 people like this
5 responses
@KrauseHome (36447)
• United States
5 Jan 13
Over the yrs. there have been stories like this from people, and many times it does make you wonder. How would someone mistake an old lady for a ghost, and kill her unless the way she was dressed, but would they not know their was someone living around there? He could also have dreamed or imagined this, and been so afraid he was not thinking. But personally it makes you wonder sometimes, and if you do not really believe you did anything wrong, how can you not know you did something, and have others wanting to believe and live with you from there?
1 person likes this
@vernaC (1491)
• Romania
5 Jan 13
It depends on how good the lawyer is sometimes. If you watch series or movies about how a lawyer twist and turn the statements, you'd find it believable. It's amazing how they can find logic reasons out of small details.
1 person likes this
@farjun (135)
• Israel
5 Jan 13
thats not the question... the real one is why belive the man? if he tryed to kill a ghoust then put him in the nut house! or even jail! not release him..
1 person likes this
@squallming (1775)
• Malaysia
29 Mar 13
This must have been the funniest lame excuse at escaping sentence I have ever heard. The typical people who be so scared and frightened when they see a ghost standing outside of their house. Even worse to take an axe and run towards it and hit the ghost with axe. I think it may be an intentional murder because no one in their sane mind would have taken an axe to run out and chop down a ghost. Poor old lady.
• India
5 Jan 13
Its really ridiculous, I haven't ever heard something like this.How they believed the story and let him go.What he told in his defense might be his plan to escape.There should be proper investigation in this case to find out his intention.If a criminal after committing a crime like murder is released to free, he may again commit the same crime.
1 person likes this