Ethical Dilemma/Lena Driskell

Ethical Dilemma

The Case of Lena Driskell

How a murderer's age affected the way Justice was brought against her.

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INDEX

Lena Driskell Background

The Implications

Closing Satements

THe Crime

Quote

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The Trial

Who was Lena Driskell

BAckGround

Lena May Driskell was born in 1927 in Georgia; her husband, Louis Jay Driskell, was about five years her senior. Lena became pregnant and had her son at the age of 15. They would get married when it was discovered Lena was pregnant to raise their son together. In the early years of her marriage, Lena would take housekeeping jobs in order to help sustain her family. Louis was a machine worker by trade, and the two of them worked together to make sure the bills were paid and there was food on the table.

Background Continued

After a while of Lousis attempting to support the family on his own, with Lena getting the occasional housekeeping job, Lena eventually became a nursing assistant. Lena worked as a nursing assistant for about a decade before retiring. The family, and Lena specifically tended to be very private. Not having a lot of family they kept in close contact with to even friends around the neighborhood where they would raise their son. Lena was said to be socially awkward and private. Not putting herself out much, a trait which would presist into old age. In 1975, when Lena was 55, Louis passed away. Lena grieved deeply for her husband of over 30 years, never remarrying or even dating. Then another tragedy struck when in 1992, her son Eddie also died at the age of 50. For over ten years she was completely alone until Lena moved into a place called, High Tower Manor Complex in Martin Luthur King Drive in Atlanta. A retirement home she decided to live at.

Guilty or Innoccent?

The Crime

Lena began to harass Herman after he decided to terminate the relationship, breaking into his room at random, calling his phone pretending to be another woman, and arguing with him whenever possible. Herman asked the security officers present for help; however, he was ignored. Days after his complaint, Lena would use an antique handgun to shoot Herman. She did this in full view of the common area, and the security guard present. Lena was arrested the same day.

In the retirement home, Lena met a man named Herman Winslow Senior, whom she began a relationship with. Herman was said to be very outgoing and considered to be quite a flirt. After the passing of his wife in 2003, he began to pursue Lena. The two would officially become a couple in 2004. The two ended up dating for about a year, until after a trip the two took to Daytona Beach, in Florda the relationship turned sour.

Quote

"I did it and I'd do it again"

-Lena May Driskell

The Controversial Ruling

The Trial

Lena Driskell had several trials, but due to her age, the Procution had a big task. Having to prove tto a jury that Lena, a 79-year-old woman who lived in a nursing home, was a danger to the community and needed to be taken off the streets. The strategy the production ended up using was to paint a picture of a woman enraged by rejection and unable to control herself. The defense team argued that it was a crime of passion and that while she did shoot Herman, she had owned the gun she had used since 1957b and had never hurt anyone. Die to her age Lena was released on a 225,000 dollar bail and put on house arrest for murder.

The Trial Continued

Appeals and Final Ruling

A year later at the full trial, Lena's defense team attempted to argue temporary insanity. Given her age, it was an easy angle, and once Lena was allowed to take the stand, she claimed that Herman was seeing multiple women, and while it enraged her, she knew it was wrong. This allowed the prosecution to argue that since she knew it was wrong, the defense could not argue for temporary insanity. The jury deliberated for two hours and convicted her on all counts of felony murder, Only for it to be overturned just two years later to voluntary manslaughter, with time served, Reducing her life in prison sentence significantly.

The Implications

Lena Driskell's age and her being elderly significantly impacted the entire trial. Her preliminary trial and her retrial were all colored by the fact she was elderly. Her final sentence of voluntary manslaughter, even when she admitted to killing Herman, with multiple witnesses present. How can we allow someone to get off easy for something so hanence just because they're no longer in the prime of their life?

Closing Statements

Closing Statements

Lena Driskell was a full-grown woman given a lighter sentence despite being guilty and admitting her crime, this was in large part due to her age, We should be able to see that even though she was elderly, she still committed a crime and still went to jail. I believe the first jury that saw her case and committed her to life imprisonment had that in mind.

Works Cited

undefined. (n.d.). Woman, 86, still serving time for killing ex-beau at Atlanta senior high rise. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved April 18, 2024, from https://www.ajc.com/news/local/woman-still-serving-time-for-killing-beau-atlanta-senior-high-rise/HS8JkiEmpMXNcQguwQkj7N/ Woman, 79, guilty of killing ex-boyfriend, 85. (2006, June 24). NBC News. https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna13512249 ‌Scorned woman accused of murder. (2024, January 14). Deseret News. https://www.deseret.com/2005/6/25/19899367/scorned-woman-accused-of-murder/ ‌SINISTER: Something For The Pain | Lena Driskell. (n.d.). Www.youtube.com. Retrieved April 18, 2024, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5fniUREdTI ‌ ‌

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