Branett Vs Mary Bennett

In each trial, whether it’s theft or murder, the jury all have the same duty. Their burden is to determine whether the defendant is guilty of the crime they are accused of, or not. The jury is expected to take testimonies and facts into account and go forth with a decision from there. In Mary Bennett’s case, the jury must determine whether she is guilty of second-degree murder of her infant daughter. For the defendant to be guilty of second-degree murder, the jury must determine if Bennett intended to kill her daughter, made a conscious decision to do so at that moment, and was aware of the consequences of her actions (“Mary Bennett,” pg 5). Bennett decided to leave her daughter alone and unattended so that she could visit her fiancé in San Francisco. When Bennett had come home, she found her daughter dead due to dehydration. When asked what had happened, she first told police that she left her daughter with a babysitter. Later, she made a statement, admitting that she left her infant daughter alone and knew she would die in a few days. Through evidence and witness statements, I was able to conclude that the defendant, Mary Bennett, is guilty of second-degree murder of her six-month old, infant

She had stated that she had no idea what she had done, and had trouble putting together the pieces. She explains that she was frightened and anxious and felt like she had lost all control. She had also said that she must have just assumed that someone else was taking care of the infant because she was so fixated on going to see her fiancé in California. I do not believe Bennett’s statement to be credible. Early on in the investigation, she made statements that had conflicted. I believe that Bennett’s statements cannot be trusted. The first reason is that she made conflicting statements early on. The second is because the facts are known to be skewed after so many