Human Rights Education

Lesson Plans » Death Penalty » Preliminary » Activity Handout

Lesson 1 Activity Handout



Andy Smith, Jim Styles, and Sam Waltham have been convicted of the abduction, rape and murder of Jane Robinson, a high school student.

Testimony is that the three men had been drinking and stopped to help the victim change a flat tire. They then forced her into their car, drove to secluded area, and raped and murdered the victim.

Smith is a 17-year old high school dropout with an IQ of 62

Styles is a high school graduate enlisted in the Air Force, but was dishonorably discharged. He is now a drug addict. He provided the car in the crime.

Waltham is a college freshman. He testifies he became friends with the other two against the advice of his parents and insists the other two forced him to go along with them. He claims that Styles was the ringleader, and denies taking part in the rape.

Styles and Smith both testify that the crime was actually suggested by Waltham and that it was also his idea to kill the victim to prevent her from testifying against them. They insist they were both drunk and not thinking clearly.

Styles claims that Smith fired the fatal shot; Smith says it was Waltham; Waltham insists it was Styles. Waltham is black. Styles and Smith are white.

Some things to consider: kidnapping, rape, burglary, robbery while armed with a deadly weapon, defendant's age, mental faculty, uncertainty of facts, effect of alcohol and drugs, defendants role in the crime, etc.