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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]If they haven't charged anyone with the wife's murder, then Ryan did it. [/quote]

No, they specifically said that the details of who stabbed Christine is still under investigation, and that they’re still looking into electronic/phone records to understand why Ryan was there in the first place.

Can someone with a legal or criminal justice background explain why she would have been charged with second-degree murder instead of manslaughter? Arent self-defense type crimes usually filed as manslaughter? Like an in the moment passion thing?[/quote]

Former prosecutor and criminal defense attorney here.

If it was a clear case of her interrupting a stabbing by shooting the stabber, I doubt she would be charged at all. That would be a case of defense of others and there would be no reason for prosecutors to bring charges against her unless they were idiots.
[b]
I suspect that she is charged because she shot him without just cause. Like, she walked in after he had concluded stabbing the victim and she shot him out of rage/retaliation. That would qualify as second degree murder, especially if she shot him multiple times.[/b]

But it’s weird that they’ve charged her while saying the stabbing is still under investigation. I find this case puzzling at best.[/quote]

I don't disagree with you, but still find it really strange to charge her with 2nd degree murder under those circumstances. What jury is going to find the 23 year old au pair guilty of murdering her employer's killer if the guy is still alive and in in possession of a knife all while the 4 year old daughter is still in the house?

Something very different happened here. Either a murder for hire gone wrong or Ryan was in the wrong place at the wrong time situation.[/quote]

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