Tennessee Criminal Lawyer Blog

A fifty-one year old Florida woman reached another one of life’s little milestones last week when she successfully robbed a bank in Sanford Florida. The woman reportedly decided to rob the bank because it was on her “bucket list,” which has become a popular term for a list of accomplishments or activities a person wants to see completed before he or she passes away. The woman is quoted as saying that she really did not have a plan for robbing the bank, but just decided to do so on impulse. She then went into the bank apparently armed with nothing but a note demanding cash, handed it to the teller, and walked out with some cash. The woman, who was arrested three days later, now says she regrets the decision and that she will accept the consequences, whatever they may be.

This situation is notable for more than just the woman’s bizarre explanation as to why she robbed the bank. Rather, this situation provides a great example of when multiple mitigating factors may come into play for the defendant at sentencing. The first major issue at play here is that the woman reportedly suffers from non-terminal leukemia and bipolar disorder and had not taken her medication for several days prior to the incident. While this will most likely not be a valid defense to the crime (because someone cannot just forget to take their medicine and then break the law with impunity) it may mitigate toward a lesser sentence for the woman as a substantial ground tending to justify her conduct. Also working in concert with this factor would be the fact that the woman was suffering from a mental condition at the time of the offense that may significantly reduce her culpability for the offense. The defendant in a situation such as this would also potentially be able to rely on the mitigating factor that the offense was committed under such unusual circumstances that it is unlikely that the lady had a sustained intent to violate the law. Finally, the offense did not pose the risk of bodily injury to anyone, which should also work in her favor.

It is also important to note, however, that the “bucket list” excuse is unlikely to buy you any leeway from the court. After all, telling the police that you just wanted to rob a bank one time before you died may make it seem like your life-long aspiration is to be a criminal, an aspiration for which a sentencing court would have very little sympathy. As always, suspects would be well-advised to speak with an attorney prior to revealing any information to the police that may have a tendency to incriminate them with regard to criminal involvement.

Source: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/03/30/florida-woman-reportedly-robs-bank-citing-bucket-list/