Gothamist: Seton Hall Dorm Fire Plea

EE

Fri, 17 Nov 2006 15:39:30 -0500

They didn't mean to hurt anyone. They sound stupid enough that they probably didn't even foresee at the time that anyone was likely to get hurt. Therefore, as far as the deaths are concerned, I feel like their idiocy is best dealt with by tort law, the families suing him. They just don't have any mens rea. The reality of the situation is, sure, they can be hit by arson since they intentionally burned something that wasn't theirs. But it was just a freaking banner. If their story is to be believed, then the criminal case, in my opinion, should have been dropped. The results are sad, but the criminal law isn't about locking up idiots. It's about locking up evil idiots. But these kids really ought to have the vast majority of their wages docked for the rest of their lives to pay the injured and the families of the dead.

Really?

Thu, 16 Nov 2006 16:22:52 -0500

Nearly 7 years for this?

edEx

Thu, 16 Nov 2006 15:24:17 -0500

*"I, along with Sean Ryan, lit a banner on fire that was draped across the couch in the third-floor lounge of Boland Hall. I did not intend to harm anyone. It was a prank that got out of hand.* sounds like an admission to guilt. while they may not have intended to kill anyone, they did. and they need to be punished for it. manslaughter, 15 - 25 years.