George learns that Randy has been secretly having sexual relations with his wife Kate.George grabs his pistol,gets in his car,and drives to Randy's house intending to shoot Randy.Randy,who is sitting on his front porch,sees George exit his car with pistol in hand.Fearing the worst,Randy jumps off the porch in an effort to escape.However,Randy hits the ground awkwardly and breaks his ankle.Meanwhile,George,seeing Randy writhing in pain,changes his mind and returns home.In this instance:
A)George has criminal responsibility for Randy's injury because his motive was to hurt or kill Randy.
B)George is criminally responsible for Randy's injury because but for George's conduct,Randy would not have broken his ankle.
C)George is not criminally responsible for Randy's injury because an intervening cause (jumping from the porch),not George's conduct,produced the injury.
D)George is criminally responsible for Randy's injury due to the doctrine of transferred intent.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The correct answer is C because an intervening cause (Randy jumping from the porch) was the direct cause of his injury, not George's conduct. While George intended to harm Randy, he did not actually cause the injury by shooting or physically harming Randy. Therefore, he is not criminally responsible for Randy's injury. The doctrine of transferred intent (choice D) applies when the intended target is not harmed but an unintended victim is. However, in this scenario, Randy was not the direct victim and the injury was caused by a separate cause.

George Learns That Randy Has Been Secretly Having Sexual Relations