It's a legal difference - manslaughter is the charge if it is decided that the death was the result of the accused's actions, but not the accused's deliberate intention.
So, the trial is over. I hope they both get very, very, very long sentences and know nothing but hell while they serve them. Poor defenceless little lad, such a tragic waste of his precious life. I see the Judge has said that the jury need never do jury service again, so traumatic was this one. RIP little Arthur xxxx
I do wonder how it works in prison - do some offenders whose crime are considered OTT get abuse from their fellow inmates? Or is it a case of "we're all in this together"?
The cause of death was a head injury inflicted by his father's girlfriend - so she was found guilty of murder. As the father had not taken part in that particular assault he could not be found guilty of murder. However, he was complicit in the fatal assault so was rightly found guilty of manslaugther.
davebro, everyone likes to think that they are 'better' than some people. It's no different for criminals in prison.
The violent burglar that beat up an old woman in her home will think 'at least I didn't kill anyone'.
The gangland killer that murdered somebody from another gang will think 'at least I didn't kill my stepchild'.
In prison, child killers are almost at the bottom of the pile and they will have a very hard time.
I said it in the previous post about this charming couple, and I'll reiterate it here: they're the best pro-death penalty argument I've seen in a long time.
Also, what the hell was going on with child protection services to have allowed them to have had custody of the poor little mite?