Current Events > If demonic possession was proven by science, could it effect court trials?

(+) Yeah! (+)

Imagine if someone committed a murder but their defense was they had been possessed by a demon during the murder. Say they could verify it was true. The human mind had been in a dormant state and a demonic entity was controlling the body at the time of the crime

Does that mean the human is innocent? Would they set them free?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trial_of_Arne_Cheyenne_Johnson

Yea I have heard of that trial. The movie The Conjuring 3 is inspired by its case

The guy got convicted in real life though. But the trial happened in our world, where demons aren't proven. I'm saying if it was in a society where the entire world knows demons are real.

I don't know. Does it matter?

Court ordered exorcisms with lots of paperwork and a long wait.

Lil_Bit83 posted...

I don't know. Does it matter?

No. It's just a hypothetical situation

just wait a decade or two for the republican theocracy

I think it would depend on the how and why of possessions.

Like in the Dragon Age world where the Templars show up and deal with people who they think might be mages. You'd probably end up with some shit like that for people who could be high risk

I read a book where a woman had the ability to contact the dead and she made money by settling legal disputes about the wishes of the dead after death lol. So if it were incontrovertibly proven, like in the book, yeah, that should absolutely come into account. However, can you prove you did not invite demonic possession? Could get murky.

1)It would be rather hard to prove, and people would try to take advantage of it. Unless the demon or malevolent ghost in question shows up, how do they know the person isn't suffering hallucinations, or lying?

2) Severely mentally ill and violent people don't get let off the hook for committing heinous crimes. Nor should they.

3) Depending on where you live, even murders committed in defense of yourself or loved ones are unfortunately still punishable.

4) I suppose the closest thing to this would be committing crimes under coercion and extreme duress. What are the laws on that?

Lil_Bit83 posted...

I don't know. Does it matter?

Yes.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mens_rea

If I was a lawyer I would start arguing whether or not the murderer took reasonable precautions not to be posessed. Instead of murder, negligent homicide.

Lil_Bit83 posted...

I don't know. Does it matter?

At what point do we start paying scientists to force whatever conclusion we want?

It's hard for me to entertain something like this being real. I view this hypothetical about as valid as mind control, magical spells, and witchcraft making you do something.

KainWind posted...

At what point do we start paying scientists to force whatever conclusion we want?

I'm not sure I really understand this statement? (My mind isn't that sharp this early in the morning.)

I'm also not sure I'd wanna swing the pendulum back around that way. Look how many people did suffer horrible deaths because of "evil possession." Which, from what I've heard is truly rare. (Plus, why would demons wanna bother with a simple farmer or cashier?) A lot of it was misunderstood mental or physical illness, physical deformities, epilepsy, or even eating bad food because it was better then starving.