Shot in the Dark
Thacker v. Commonwealth (1922)
Charge: Attempted Murder Jurisdiction: Virginia Heard on GUILTY or NOT?: 3 October 2026
Whether firing into an occupied tent to shoot out the lamp inside is an attempt to murder the woman lying there.
The facts
Drunk and angered after being refused a drink, the Defendant and his companions passed a tent at night in which a woman lay with her family. Seeing the lighted lamp inside, the Defendant fired three shots at the tent; one bullet passed close to the woman's head. No one was hit. The Prosecution charged him with attempting to murder the woman; the Defense argued he meant only to shoot out the light.
You have the facts the court had. Did the prosecution prove it? Render your verdict in the game, then see what the court actually decided — and why.
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Citation: Thacker v. Commonwealth, 134 Va. 767, 114 S.E. 504 (1922)
Read the full decision at case-law.vlex.com. The source reveals the outcome.