For many crimes in Minnesota, a defendant must have been conscious of his or her acts and known that they were likely to cause some kind of harm. The idea behind this is that if someone had no idea what he or she was doing he or she probably shouldn’t be criminally punished for it. This issue often comes up when it is found that a defendant was so intoxicated or so high that it would have been nearly impossible to know what he or she was doing. Many people in Minneapolis are less willing to listen to this kind of defense, however, because it was the individual’s choice to drink or do drugs.
This issue will likely be raised in the case of a young man who appears to have been under the influence of something when he attacked his neighbor. The 20-year-old has been charged with a host of violent crimes, including strangulation, assault and menacing.
The incident happened in the woods of Oregon when a 58-year-old man says he was attacked by his naked 20-year-old neighbor. The young man was apparently talking about being a descendant of Sasquatch as he took a small rock and tried to hit the older man in the head. Eventually, however, the man was able to push the younger man off and hold him at gun point until the police arrived.
The question remains: would the young man have attacked his neighbor if he hadn’t been on some kind of drugs or alcohol? Can he really be held accountable for his actions?
Source: Time, “Naked Man Claiming to Be a Descendent of Sasquatch Attacks Hunter,” Melissa Locker, October 11, 2013
