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Description: White Cloud, Michigan criminal law lawyer represented Defendant charged with felony murder homicide and felony possession and use of a firearm.
Roy Snell, age 57, was accused of killing Richard Atwood 39 years ago in August 1983.
Snell was the last person seen with Atwood, whose body was never found. His brown 1975 Pontiac Trans-Am was recovered in the Grand Rapids area at a hotel two months later. Snell was reported as the last person to be seen with Atwood and stated he wanted to rob Atwood shortly before his disappearance.
750.316 First degree murder; incarceration order upon conviction; penalty; definitions.
Sec. 316.
(1) Except as provided in sections 25 and 25a of chapter IX of the code of criminal procedure, 1927 PA 175, MCL 769.25 and 769.25a, a person who commits any of the following is guilty of first degree murder and shall be punished by imprisonment for life without eligibility for parole:
(a) Murder perpetrated by means of poison, lying in wait, or any other willful, deliberate, and premeditated killing.
(b) Murder committed in the perpetration of, or attempt to perpetrate, arson, criminal sexual conduct in the first, second, or third degree, child abuse in the first degree, a major controlled substance offense, robbery, carjacking, breaking and entering of a dwelling, home invasion in the first or second degree, larceny of any kind, extortion, kidnapping, vulnerable adult abuse in the first or second degree under section 145n, torture under section 85, aggravated stalking under section 411i, or unlawful imprisonment under section 349b.
(c) A murder of a peace officer or a corrections officer committed while the peace officer or corrections officer is lawfully engaged in the performance of any of his or her duties as a peace officer or corrections officer, knowing that the peace officer or corrections officer is a peace officer or corrections officer engaged in the performance of his or her duty as a peace officer or corrections officer.
(2) Immediately following a conviction under this section, a court shall enter an order committing the convicted person to the jurisdiction of the department of corrections for incarceration in a state correctional facility pending sentencing using a form created by the state court administrative office for this purpose. This order becomes effective if both of the following apply:
(a) The sheriff agrees to transport for final sentencing the person from the state correctional facility to the county and from the county back to the state correctional facility.
(b) The convicted person was not less than 18 years of age at the time he or she committed the offense for which he or she was convicted under this section.
(3) A court shall hold the sentencing hearing not more than 45 days after a person is committed to the department of corrections under subsection (2).
(4) As used in this section:
(a) "Arson" means a felony violation under chapter X.
(b) "Corrections officer" means any of the following:
(i) A prison or jail guard or other prison or jail personnel.
(ii) Any of the personnel of a boot camp, special alternative incarceration unit, or other minimum security correctional facility.
(iii) A parole or probation officer.
(c) "Major controlled substance offense" means any of the following:
(i) A violation of section 7401(2)(a)(i) to (iii) of the public health code, 1978 PA 368, MCL 333.7401.
(ii) A violation of section 7403(2)(a)(i) to (iii) of the public health code, 1978 PA 368, MCL 333.7403.
(iii) A conspiracy to commit an offense listed in subparagraph (i) or (ii).
(d) "Peace officer" means any of the following:
(i) A police or conservation officer of this state or a political subdivision of this state.
(ii) A police or conservation officer of the United States.
(iii) A police or conservation officer of another state or a political subdivision of another state.
750.227b Carrying or possessing firearm when committing or attempting to commit felony; carrying or possessing pneumatic gun; exception; “law enforcement officer” defined.
Sec. 227b.
(1) A person who carries or has in his or her possession a firearm when he or she commits or attempts to commit a felony, except a violation of section 223, 227, 227a, or 230, is guilty of a felony and shall be punished by imprisonment for 2 years. Upon a second conviction under this subsection, the person shall be punished by imprisonment for 5 years. Upon a third or subsequent conviction under this subsection, the person shall be punished by imprisonment for 10 years.
(2) A person who carries or has in his or her possession a pneumatic gun and uses that pneumatic gun in furtherance of committing or attempting to commit a felony, except a violation of section 223, 227, 227a, or 230, is guilty of a felony and shall be punished by imprisonment for 2 years. Upon a second conviction under this subsection, the person shall be punished by imprisonment for 5 years. Upon a third or subsequent conviction under this subsection, the person shall be punished by imprisonment for 10 years.
(3) A term of imprisonment prescribed by this section is in addition to the sentence imposed for the conviction of the felony or the attempt to commit the felony and shall be served consecutively with and preceding any term of imprisonment imposed for the conviction of the felony or attempt to commit the felony.
(4) A term of imprisonment imposed under this section shall not be suspended. The person subject to the sentence mandated by this section is not eligible for parole or probation during the mandatory term imposed under subsection (1) or (2).
(5) This section does not apply to a law enforcement officer who is authorized to carry a firearm while in the official performance of his or her duties and who is in the performance of those duties. As used in this subsection, "law enforcement officer" means a person who is regularly employed as a member of a duly authorized police agency or other organization of the United States, this state, or a city, county, township, or village of this state and who is responsible for the prevention and detection of crime and the enforcement of the general criminal laws of this state.
Outcome: Snell, 57, was found guilty of the following charges:
One count of homicide - felony murder, punishable with a mandatory sentence of life without the possibility of parole;
One count of weapons – felony firearm, punishable by two years in prison.
Plaintiff's Experts:
Defendant's Experts:
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