Im reviewing the Missouri murder charge overviews as im listening to this and I cant understand why he was only charged with third degree, it hits more than one checkmark on what constitutes 2nd degree. While in my personal opinion its 1st degree murder cut & dry and him receiving gas or the needle (the 2 options in Missouri) is still too lenient, at the very least its second degree murder, no question about it.
Second degree murder is generally defined as intentional murder that lacks premeditation, is intended to only cause bodily harm, and demonstrates an extreme indifference to human life.
Intentional Killings Without Premeditation
These sorts of killings don't involve any planning on the part of the killer. At the moment the murder occurs, the killer definitely intends to kill the victim, but up until that moment, the killer had no plan to commit murder.
Intent to Cause Only Serious Bodily Harm
A second situation that constitutes second-degree murder is where the perpetrator intends only to cause serious bodily harm but knows that death could result from the act.
Extreme Indifference to Human Life
The third main type of second-degree murder occurs when a victim dies as a result of the perpetrator's extreme indifference to the value of human life. Generally speaking, extreme indifference means an utter disregard of the possibility that an act will kill someone.
You can easily prove any of the above just based off the footage and a couple of remarks that were made during the murder, has there been a statement released as to why he is being charged with such leniency??