Dave Davies

Sarah Stillman is the staff writer for The New Yorker. We will be right back. This is Fresh Air. This legal doctrine, felony murder, kind of sounds weird because everybody thinks, well, surely murder is already a felony. I mean, what is the idea here?

Sarah Stillman is the staff writer for The New Yorker. We will be right back. This is Fresh Air. This legal doctrine, felony murder, kind of sounds weird because everybody thinks, well, surely murder is already a felony. I mean, what is the idea here?

Sarah Stillman is the staff writer for The New Yorker. We will be right back. This is Fresh Air. This legal doctrine, felony murder, kind of sounds weird because everybody thinks, well, surely murder is already a felony. I mean, what is the idea here?

Let's talk about the case that you cite, which is sort of your vehicle for exploring this. This is an event in August of 2012. What happened on the ground? What actually occurred?

Let's talk about the case that you cite, which is sort of your vehicle for exploring this. This is an event in August of 2012. What happened on the ground? What actually occurred?

Let's talk about the case that you cite, which is sort of your vehicle for exploring this. This is an event in August of 2012. What happened on the ground? What actually occurred?

So the title of your article is Sentenced to Life for an Accident Miles Away. So Sadiq was in handcuffs, but the guy who he had robbed cars with fled and killed these two bike lists in a car accident. And he was arrested and charged with felony murder. And as is typical in these cases, Wright was offered a plea deal.

So the title of your article is Sentenced to Life for an Accident Miles Away. So Sadiq was in handcuffs, but the guy who he had robbed cars with fled and killed these two bike lists in a car accident. And he was arrested and charged with felony murder. And as is typical in these cases, Wright was offered a plea deal.

So the title of your article is Sentenced to Life for an Accident Miles Away. So Sadiq was in handcuffs, but the guy who he had robbed cars with fled and killed these two bike lists in a car accident. And he was arrested and charged with felony murder. And as is typical in these cases, Wright was offered a plea deal.

This is something I gather that is more attractive to prosecutors about felony murder. It allows them to exert more pressure on a defendant.

This is something I gather that is more attractive to prosecutors about felony murder. It allows them to exert more pressure on a defendant.

This is something I gather that is more attractive to prosecutors about felony murder. It allows them to exert more pressure on a defendant.

You know, one of the remarkable things about this story and this use of felony murder is that the son of one of the bicyclists actually felt that Sadiq Baxter had been treated unfairly. Tell us that story.

You know, one of the remarkable things about this story and this use of felony murder is that the son of one of the bicyclists actually felt that Sadiq Baxter had been treated unfairly. Tell us that story.

You know, one of the remarkable things about this story and this use of felony murder is that the son of one of the bicyclists actually felt that Sadiq Baxter had been treated unfairly. Tell us that story.

And all three of these kids became public defenders. Is that right?

And all three of these kids became public defenders. Is that right?

And all three of these kids became public defenders. Is that right?

There's a legislative debate about this, right, in states. And some argue that felony murder is a deterrent because it shows that if you go out to do some bad stuff, even if you don't think you're going to kill somebody, it can work very badly for you. You say studies show that's really not the case because nobody knows about this until they're caught up in such a case.

There's a legislative debate about this, right, in states. And some argue that felony murder is a deterrent because it shows that if you go out to do some bad stuff, even if you don't think you're going to kill somebody, it can work very badly for you. You say studies show that's really not the case because nobody knows about this until they're caught up in such a case.