Were does ones right to self defense end? And how far will a District Attorney go to show he is hard on crime?.
Last week Robin Cox, a youth pastor, was arrested in his California church on murder charges filed in Nevada. The charges stem from an altercation that took place outside of a Vegas restaurant, on June 13, 2013, and where Link Ellingson obtained a head trauma that lead to his death on December 15.
Cox was traveling on a ministry trip to Texas with his wife and members of his youth organization, when they stopped in Las Vegas for dinner. After exiting the restaurant and preparing to get back on the road they were accosted by Ellingson, who threatened and proceeded to attack them, causing injuries to other . Mr. Cox and the other church members all claim that the pastor acted in self defense of group. To read the full story please visit the Las Vegas Sun
It seems that this case can be viewed both legally and politically. On the legal side you need to figure out what constitutes self-defense and if Cox’s actions fall under this umbrella. Self-defense is defined as the right to prevent suffering force or violence through the use of a sufficient level of counteracting force or violence. The Youth Pastor believed he, his wife and the young ministry interns were in danger and he acted. Was his level of action justified? Should he have made more of an effort to flee? Was there any alternatives? This are the questions that will have to decided in court.
One the political end, we have to ask, “Why are these charges even being filed?” The charges seem severe considering the witness all agree that the youth pastor was just defending his wife and members of his congregation. Well here is an answer: It is an election year for the District Attorney Steve Wolfson. It might just be that DA Wolfson needs to look harder on crime and show Clark County residences that if a visitor injures someone from Vegas then they will pay (even if its warranted).
DA Wolfson knows a case like this will take a long time before they reach trial. And, the DA knows he doesn’t have to win this case, he just needs the arrest and headlines before elections.