Jodi Arias and Oscar Pistorius Criminal Defense Cases

Usually, different defenses are used depending on the case in question. For the putative self-defense, Pistorius alleges that he fired the shots with intent to shoot an intruder. According to the accused, he claimed to fire the first shot when he towards the door of the lavatory, assuming that the intruder was coming out. However, according to examination, it was evident that Reeva must have been trying to open the door to the lavatory when she was shot for the first time (Harvey, 2013). On the other hand, Pistorius used the involuntary action defense by stating that he did not have any intention when he fired the shots.

In the case of Jodi Arias, she is alleged to have had a childhood that was full of violent abuse from her parents since the age of seven (Holder, 2013). As such, her alleged sexual mistreatment by Alexander was just an addition to her childhood abuse. She had testified that her sexual life with Alexander had turned out to be emotionally as well as physically abusive. She also said that he had slammed her on the floor, as well as taunted her. She also testified to have been kicked by Alexander before she could put her hand out. As she confessed, Jodi Arias killed Alexander in self-defense after their relationship became intolerable.

The role of Justification and excuse in the Jodi Arias and Oscar Pistorius cases

In both the Jodi Arias and Oscar Pistorius cases, excuse and justification played a significant role in determining the defense, as well as the outcome of the cases. For example, Jodi excused herself that she killed her boyfriend on basis of self-defense. In her justification, she blamed the whole issue on her childhood abuse. On the other hand, Pistorius case portrayed the use of justification and excuse in that Pistorius shot her girlfriend on the excuse that he was shooting an intruder in their house. In the real sense, if there had been an intruder in the lavatory, Reeva would not have moved towards that side.

The outcome of Jodi Arias Case

Following the examination and cross-examination of the murder of Travas Alexander, the jury gave a verdict that Jodi Arias was guilty of first-degree murder (Holder, 2013). Even though there were several disagreements about the type of penalty that would be accorded to Arias, she was eventually sentenced to life imprisonment.

The outcome of

The case of Pistorius and the murder of his girlfriend, Reeva, ended when the ruling indicated that Oscar was guilty of culpable homicide, as opposed to murder. In addition, Oscar Pistorius was guilty of shooting in a hotel. For these reasons, the a five for Oscar.