Missing Yale student found dead behind wall on day of her planned wedding.

[Malthus]

Necrophilia is wrong primarially because of the effect on the dead person's friends and relations, who are likely to take humping the dead person somewhat amiss.

As far as I know, none of the dead girl's friends and relations are languishistas, and so are most unlikely to be affected by us discussing the motive for the crime. 

But they may be harmed by the general knowledge that their daughter/fiance/friends is being accused of loose conduct, so my preference is not to participate in such rumormongering.

At least until such point as the facts merit it.   

The facts merit speculation as to the nature of the relationship between the murderer and his victim, insofar as any discussion at all of the case is warranted. How can one meaningfully discuss a crime, without consideration of the motive?

I doubt that the anguish of her friends and relations will be in any way affected by anything we say or do. 

We are not the authorities. I agree that the authorities should not publicly speculate on such matters, but we are in a different position - private individuals.

[Jaron]

Who else isn't surprised Malthus is a heartless bastard?

[The Minsky Moment]

Yes the usual schema is murder = any killing where there is intent to cause death (however ephemeral).

1st degree/capital muder is then any murder that has some additional aggravating factor that usual relates to some policy objective (discouraging attacks on peace officers, murder for hire, etc).  Premediation is not typically a factor anymore in many states.

[Caliga]

Who else isn't surprised Malthus is a heartless bastard lawyer?

[Malthus]

I knew that the murder laws varied from one state to the next, but I was under the impression that generally they followed this scheme:

first degree murder - premeditated murder
second degree murder - intentional, non-premeditated murder
third degree murder - accidental murder but with intent to harm (i.e. someone dies in a barfight from a freak lethal punch)

Apparently, from a quick review of the wiki article about that, this isn't the case in most states.    It suggests, without laying out specifics in any states but PA and NY, that alot of states only consider a murder first-degree if it involves torture, only if it involves the killing of a federal official, policeman, judge, or other civil servant in the line of duty, and so forth.  I had no idea 

In Canada, it is complex.

Murder is "first degree" if it is planned and deliberate. It is also "first degree" if committed against a serving policeman, or in the course of sexual assault and the like - there is a host of offences specifically named.

[Malthus]

Who else isn't surprised Malthus is a heartless bastard?

I want my salsa.

[Jacob]

Actual real life Asian chicks rarely lived up to the submissive stereotype, however.

My personal research into the matter supports your conclusion.

[Caliga]

As does mine.  I have NEVER known an Asian girl who even remotely fits the stereotype.

[DisturbedPervert]

When I was going to university, I took many courses in East Asian studies. People just assumed white dudes who took such courses were doing it to meet Asian chicks

At my university, you had to take certain courses if you wanted to meet white chicks.  Celtic Studies and lower division Psych ftw.

[Malthus]

Actual real life Asian chicks rarely lived up to the submissive stereotype, however.

My personal research into the matter supports your conclusion.

[Caliga]

Anyway, I'm waiting for PETA to make a statement about how we shouldn't be surprised someone who would kill poor little innocent mice is also prone to being a murderer and the former leads to the latter and therefore animal testing ought to be banned.

[MadImmortalMan]

I disagree.

The motive is paramount in murder cases, because it distinguishes between a crime of passion made in the moment and a premeditated, cold-blooded murder, and serves to explain and see the reasons the murderer was pushed to commit an homicide.

Not relevant.  There is no requirement for premeditation to be convicted of murder under the CT penal code.

It is also irrelevant for the purposes of the capital murder statute.  The only time motivation is relevant under the CT penal code is where it is murder for hire or if the murder occurs as part of a drug transaction where the motivation is pecuniary gain.  I think it is very unlikely that either of these two are in play here.

The one hook for a capital charge here is if it is a "murder committed in the course of the commission of sexual assault in the first degree".  However, once again, motivation is irrelevant, only the fact of whether the sexual assault occurred or not.

What if it turns out to be a "hate crime".

[The Minsky Moment]

What if it turns out to be a "hate crime".

Doesn't matter.

here are the available factors:
(1) Murder of a member of the Division of State Police  . . . [and various other law enforcement and emergency-type persons - a long list]

(2) murder committed by a defendant who is hired to commit the same for pecuniary gain or murder committed by one who is hired by the defendant to commit the same for pecuniary gain

(3) murder committed by one who has previously been convicted of intentional murder or of murder committed in the course of commission of a felony

(4) murder committed by one who was, at the time of commission of the murder, under sentence of life imprisonment

(5) murder by a kidnapper of a kidnapped person during the course of the kidnapping or before such person is able to return or be returned to safety

(6) murder committed in the course of the commission of sexual assault in the first degree

(7) murder of two or more persons at the same time or in the course of a single transaction; or

(8) murder of a person under sixteen years of age.

[CountDeMoney]

And if so, wouldn't he have a criminal record already?

Six years ago, he was questioned by police after getting into a fight with his high school girlfriend.  The girlfriend gave a statement at that time to the police that he had recently forced her to have sex against her will, but then declined to press charges, and the matter was dropped.

It's possible for a person to carry out violent or anti-social behavior for a time without it ending up in criminal convictions.

Don't forget this interesting nugget: he was a member of the Asian Awareness group in high school.

[CountDeMoney]

Personally, my guess leans more toward the unrequited love thing.

That's just because you're a hopeless romantic.