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U.S. v. MOTHERSILL

United States Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit (1996) | 87 F.3d 1214

4 min read

TL;DR: Members of a large-scale drug conspiracy were held criminally liable for the murder of a state trooper caused by a co-conspirator's pipe bomb. The court found the murder was a reasonably foreseeable consequence of the violent criminal enterprise, affirming their convictions under the Pinkerton doctrine.

Legal Significance: This case affirms a broad application of Pinkerton co-conspirator liability, holding that major participants in a violent conspiracy are liable for unintended but foreseeable murders committed in furtherance of that conspiracy, even if they did not participate in or know about the specific act.