He almost died!!

Here's a question for you - what constitutes Murder?

Before going any further - have a read of this article about Southwest Airlines.

Back? Good. So - what constitutes Murder?

First off (in case its not obvious), I am not a lawyer and have had no legal training. However, I don't know any lawyers to ask (its also unlikely a lawyer will ever comment on this blog - hence I am reduced to guesswork). So, based on some very brief research, my understanding of murder is that, as a general rule, it requires premeditation or intention to kill (hey, it was some very brief research!).

According to the article, the ticket agent had been given proof of Richard's medical condition (being the medical cert). The agent knows (he was told) that Richard was flying for the purpose of a life saving operation. It also appears that an extra seat was available and letting him on the plane wouldn't cause inconvenience to other passengers. From the available information, it looks like the ticket agent was just trying to make a quick buck (I guess they get paid on commission basis).

Suppose Richard Brown had died at the airport (and despite my dramatic headline, I have no idea how likely an eventuality that was). Would you consider the Southwest ticket agent to be a murderer?

Bear in mind, the ticket agent appears to have full knowledge of the possible consequences of his decision not to let Richard fly. Despite this, he still made the decision not to let Richard on the plane. If Richard had died, would this act (or should it be an omission to act?) be enough to constitute a murder?

I guess it probably wouldn't. Although the act is reprehensible, it seems extreme to call the ticket agent a murderer. Still, I sure as heck wouldn't want to know the guy.