I personally would convict Hutt of first-degree murder because his actions were
all intentional. One does not merely throw boiling hot water on their wife and then try to
hide the fact by putting her in the basement and concealing the truth from the world. Hutt
was certain that his actions would lead to a certain consequence. That consequence was
his wife’s demise. Hutt used his free will to hurt his wife, by throwing boiling water on
her, plus adding to her misery by shooting her with a pellet gun and causing several
wounds to her body. The way I look at this case, I look at how Mrs. Jones talks to her
mother about seven times after the burning and this seems planned as Mr. Hutt probably
planned the phone calls to make it look…show more content… Mr. Hutt was fully aware that if his wife did not receive medical attention
it would result in her death, which he caused to do intentionally. An individual who is
willfully blind purposely doesn’t check or ask, so they may avoid criminal liability.
Though, Mr. Hutt was aware that his wife had been burned, and supposedly checked up
on her so he cannot be convicted of being willfully blind to the circumstance because he
was aware. Recklessness is another part of second-degree murder, Mr. Hutt knew his
wife was dying and a reasonable prudent person would not have assumed his wife was
okay. He would have gotten her aid as soon as he could, but was actually aware that the
injuries he caused her would slowly take a toll on her body which would lead to her
death. Mr. Hutt cannot be convicted of manslaughter either, as Mr. Hutt’s belief that his
wife was getting better is not reasonable. He deliberately planned her murder, as he
planned the phone calls with her mother, but no visits. It is obvious that Mr. Hutt was not
with Mrs. Jones in the basement, as his wife died twelve hours before he found her. This
indicates that he was not helping her by any means and merely came to see her and