Case of Elena, her husband Menelaus, and her secret-lover Paris

TRANSCRIPT

*** Case 1 ***

Elena wants to make her old husband Menelaus fall into a deep sleep so that she
can enjoy a night of passion with the youngest and most attractive Paris, who is her
secret lover. Preparing dinner, she pours 10 mg of a powerful sleeping pill into her
husband's dish.

Unbeknownst to Elena, Paris also conceives the same plan and, without being seen
from Menelaus, he pours exactly the same dose of sleeping pill into his glass.

When dinner is ready, Elena joins the two men in the living room and they all start to
eat.

After drinking and eating, Menelaus starts feeling bad. The combination of the two
doses of sleeping pills, in fact, produces a lethal effect and the poor man dies within
a few minutes.

Has Elena caused her husband’s death?

*** Case 2 ***

Elena wants to finally marry her secret lover Paris and decides to kill her husband
Menelaus by giving him 20 mg of sleeping pills. She knows that this is the dose to kill a
man.

Once dinner is over, Paris sneaks into the house and hits Menelaus with a dagger,
killing him before the poison produces its effect.

The pathologist gave as his opinion that the dose of poison administered by Elena
would have caused the death of her husband within the next 24 hours.

Can Elena be charged with any crime? (If yes, think to which one)

*** Case 3 ***

Preparing dinner, Elena pours 20 mg of poison into her husband Menelaus’ dish, in
order to kill him and finally be able to marry her secret lover Paris.

However, Paris has the same idea. Unbeknownst to Elena, Paris administers to
Menelaus the same dose of 20 mg of poison.

When dinner is ready, Elena joins the two men in the living room, and they all start to
eat.

After drinking and eating, Menelaus starts feeling bad. The poisons have had their
effect and the poor man dies within a few minutes.

Which defendant has “caused” Menelaus’ death? Elena or Paris?