Short Stuff: Killing a Dead Body

# Stuff You Should Know - Summary

In this episode, Josh and Chuck explore the surprisingly complex legal question of whether you can actually be charged with murdering someone who's already dead. They trace through several real cases including a famous 1975 New York incident and a French case from 1986 to show how courts have grappled with the distinction between murder and attempted murder when dealing with corpses. The guys break down how the concept of legal intent ultimately trumped the idea of legal impossibility, meaning you can't murder a dead body but you absolutely can be convicted of attempted murder if you thought the person was alive when you tried to kill them.