Miranda 1

Camila Miranda
Professor Stout
Intro to Legal Systems 2203
1 December 2023

Final Extra Credit

In this article, it describes a case that occurred in Stamford Connecticut
in December of 2022, in which a 24 year old Greenwich man, Michael Talbot,
hit two employees, Giovanni Vega-Benis and Yuliana Alias-Lozano, of a
restaurant getting off of work at around 2 AM. As they were crossing the street
in downtown Stamford, Talbot fatally hit both Benis and Lozano with his
Mercedes vehicle, and both were pronounced dead on scene. Talbot was driving
86 mph in a 25 mph area, along with driving under the influence of alcohol and
marijuana. Data from police computers demonstrated that Talbot did not apply
brakes nor try to move the steering wheel to avoid the impact and police also
reported that his alcohol levels exceeded twice the legal limit. Shortly after the
collision, Talbot abandoned his vehicle on the road and fled on foot, and police
found him hiding in a nearby shed not long after. Talbot was not arrested until
weeks after the crash, being taken into custody by sheriff's deputies after being
found playing Bingo with his family in Marco Island, Florida. The authorities
initially charged him with two counts of second degree manslaughter but were
later upgraded to first degree manslaughter with the additional charges
consisting of evading responsibility and driving under the influence. In
September of this year, Talbot appeared before court to be presented with a
plea deal in which he would plead guilty and serve between 10-15 years in
prison, followed by five years probation, with the remainder of his 20 year
sentence suspended. During this hearing before the Stamford Superior Court,
Talbot’s defense requested more time for his client to consider the plea deal
and the court determined that the case would resume on December 1st of 2023.
Family members of the victims however strongly object to the plea deals that
were offered, stating that Talbot should face harsher punishment.
This case addresses the chosen topic because it deals with criminal law
seeing as it is a case being tried in court as a criminal case. As explained
previously in class, under criminal against persons, there are five types of
crimes: homicide, rape, robbery, kidnapping, and assault. This specific case
would address an involuntary manslaughter homicide case, seeing as Talbot
demonstrated criminally reckless and negligent behavior with no intent. Along
with this, based on the affirmative defenses gone over in class, it is safe to say
that one of the affirmative defense stances that Talbot and his attorney will
take is intoxication which would be able to prove further that he had no
intention of committing the crime seeing as he cannot meet the intent
requirement. Additionally, this case not only addresses criminal law in the
aspects of crime type and affirmative defense but also addresses criminal law
in the light of theory of punishment. This specific case involves deterrence,
 Miranda 2

incapacitation, and rehabilitation. Deterrence is demonstrated here because

the arrest and punishment of this man will help others realize that no one is
above the law and what happens when you attempt and evade it considering
Talbot tried to hide from police officers by abandoning his vehicle.
Incapacitation is also clearly evident here considering Talbott is currently
being detained by the state which prevents him from evading the law or
committing more crimes. Finally, since Talbott is being held in prison, this can
be considered rehabilitation because incarceration is meant to give individuals
the opportunity to reflect on their actions. Lastly, this case is also a clear
example of criminal procedure. Taking this specific case and information into
consideration, I am able to recognize the application of the 4th, 5th, and 6th
amendment.
Having learned about criminal law earlier this semester, I was better able
to understand this article and analyze the case through a more legal lens. As I
previously stated, this case addresses criminal law topics such as crime type
and degree, affirmative defense, theories of punishment, and criminal
procedure. Being able to identify these different aspects of criminal law
applicable in this case is only because of what I learned this semester regarding
criminal law which as a result helped me better understand the case and what
is going on legally. Along with this, I am able to also form a better stance or
opinion about this case because I now have the basic criminal legal to do so. For
example, I previously did not know much about plea deals but after learning
about criminal law, I now know that the majority of cases do not go to court
and most take plea deals offered. Knowing this, I also know that if he rejects
the plea deal offered, it is risky for him to go to court because he could be
offered a worse sentence. Taking into consideration the fact that he attempted
to evade the law and was driving under the influence, the jury is not likely to
sympathize with him and vote in his favor. Without having learned about
criminal law this semester, I would not have been able to form this opinion
about this case.

Citations
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Article Link:
https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/michael-talbot-greenwich-
stamford-crash-plea-deal-18379051.php#photo-24258678

Other Sources:
https://www.fox61.com/article/news/crime/greenwich-man-facing-2-counts
-of-manslaughter/520-48d3812e-e822-48ba-b568-d9e32ed95309