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Solving Crimes with Referent Tracking

Delve into the mystery of Senator Huey Long's assassination and explore diverse theories on who killed him and when. Analyze different perspectives to unravel the truth.

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Solving Crimes with Referent Tracking

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  1. Discovery Seminar UE141 PP– Spring 2009Solving Crimes using Referent Tracking The time of a ‘killing’January 22, 2009 Werner CEUSTERS Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics and Life Sciences Ontology Research Group University at Buffalo, NY, USA

  2. Homework of last week • On September 9th, 1935, Carl Austin Weiss shot Senator Huey Long in the Louisiana State Capitol with a .35 calibre pistol. Long died from this wound thirty hours later on September 10th. Weiss, on the other hand, received between thirty-two and sixty .44 and .45 calibre hollow point bullets from Long's agitated bodyguards and died immediately. Sorensen, R., 1985, "Self-Deception and Scattered Events", Mind, 94: 64-69. • Questions: • Did Weiss kill Senator Long ? • If so, when did he kill him ? • Send me your answer • in PowerPoint • by email (ceusters@buffalo.edu) • not later than January 19, 10 PM, • Answers should include reference to or citations from any source or document that you used to formulate an answer

  3. Student responses

  4. contradiction investigation opinion without argument S1 • Did Weiss kill Senator Long? • Probably not. There are many different accounts of what happened on that day. Prior to his assassination, Senator Long uncovered a plot to assassinate him, so most people think that’s what happened. However, some say Long’s body guards shot at Weiss before he shot at Long, and Long was struck by a stray bullet from his body guards, which ultimately killed him. • If so, when? • Regardless of whose bullet actually struck him, Weiss could not have actually killed Long, because Weiss died first. You can’t kill someone if you’re already dead. • http://www.balladofearlklong.com/assassination.html 80%

  5. inconsistent opinion without argument Avoiding a straight answer S2 Who Killed Huey Long? Although I see the abstract argument that the bullets, gun, or whatever other factors killed the senator I don’t believe that is true. Carl Austin Weiss is the person that is responsible for killing the senator. This is because he is the person that pulled the trigger. Like I stated earlier, although the bullets from the gun actually was the factor that was responsible for the death of the senator the gun didn’t shoot itself. Without Weiss the gun wouldn’t have shot the senator in which case Weiss is responsible for killing Long. In terms of when he killed him it was when he shot the gun that ended up killing him, not when he actually died. No investigation 50%

  6. investigation opinion without argument S3 • Who killed him ? • Some theorist believe that Senator Long was actually hit by one of his body guards own bullets. • I’m uncertain as to who shot Senator Long but I don’t believe the shot was fatal. With proper medical care Senator Long may have lived. • He was killed when his surgeon failed to notice his kidney damage which lead to the internal bleeding that killed him. Source: “Who Killed the Kingfish?” The Athens Observer, p. 8A (September 12, 1985). 60%

  7. Investigation But no source opinion without argument S4 • Did Weiss Kill Senator Long? • I can’t say for certain that Weiss killed Senator Long because there aren’t many clear evidence to support this theory. • Most major authorities think Weiss likely was the assassin but no strong evidence to support the theory. On the other hand, some also believe that the fatal shot might have been fired by Long’s bodyguard. • Among those who agreed to the theory that the bodyguard killed Long, most believe the shooting was probably an accident caused by a panicky bodyguard and then shoot Long as part of a plot to kill the Senator and blame it on the hapless Weiss. • If so, when did he kill him? • If he really did shoot and killed him, I would say he killed him on Tuesday when Senator Long died. • Some believe Weiss did killed Senator Long and some don’t but those who believe Weiss was the assassin disagree about whether he acted alone. Some say he did; others claim Weiss was part of the conspiracy to kill senator Long. 50%

  8. S8 • According to an article from Professor Wilkes of the University of Georgia School of Law, the case still remains a mystery. Through circumstantial evidence, the murder of Huey Long was believed to be committed by Carl Weiss in that, • “Weiss undeniably was present at the scene of the shooting, and his Belgian automatic 7.65 mm (.32 cal.) pistol was found near his body.  The pistol, which can hold 7 cartridges, allegedly contained 5 live rounds and one empty shell jammed in the ejector mechanism.” • Though this evidence does not prove that Weiss was in fact the murderer there is another theory involved. • According to, David H. Zinman's The Day Huey Long Was Shot others believe that perhaps Long’s panicked body guards shot him by mistake trying to protect him. There are also those who feel that, without any evidence that the body guards actually planned on murdering the senator and blame Weiss for the crime. • Even though it is not certain who shot the senator it is known that he was shot at around 9:30 p.m. on the night of September 8th 1935 and later died on September 10th at 4:06 a.m. some 30 hours after the shots were fired. 50% Who killed the kingfish? By Professor Wilkes of The Georgia School of Law,Published in The Athens Observer, p. 8A (September 12, 1985).  http://www.lawsch.uga.edu/academics/profiles/dwilkes_more/other_4kingfish.html

  9. S9 • Weis did not kill Senator Long, but instead he severely wounded the Senator. It was the complications that followed that killed Senator Long. Weis had a strong role in the death of the Senator and clearly aided to the process, but he did not actually kill him. • When? N/A 50%

  10. S5 • Did Weiss Kill Senator Long? • The answer to this question is yes. Some people claim that Weiss was unarmed when he entered the building. This is impossible however because the bullets that Weiss was killed with were different than the bullets that Long was killed with. • If so, when did he kill him? • This is a tricky question because Weiss died immediately after he was shot, while Long died 30 hours later. Therefore when Long died due to the wound that Weiss gave him, Weiss was ironically already dead. I would say that Weiss killed him when he shot him because he only lived a short time after and his death was due to the gun wound. 1. http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/Carl-Weiss 2. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0737614/ 90%

  11. S6 • What happened ? • According to Webster's dictionary, the definition of kill is to deprive of life. Having this definition, we can not technically say that Weiss killed Huey long without fully analyzing because Weiss was dead before Long was . When we analyze the timeline of events, we see that: • Carl Weiss shot Huey Long. • Then Huey Long’s bodyguards shot and killed Weiss • Finally Huey long died 30 hours later from his wounds. • Conclusion: • Long was killed by Carl Austin Weiss. Though Weiss died before Long did, Huey long eventually died from the wounds that were inflicted on him by Weiss so therefore Weiss killed Long. • When Weiss plotted his intention to murder Long, he already killed him in his mind, therefore when he pulled the trigger he killed Long. If Long had survived the shooting then it would have been attempted murder but since Weiss’s bullet led to Long being deceased, Weiss killed long and he did it when he hatched his plan and pulled the trigger. 95% Sorensen, R., 1985, "Self-Deception and Scattered Events", Mind, 94: 64-69. "Assassination of Huey P. Long “http://www.hueylong.com/life-times/assassination.php

  12. S7 (1) • Definition of Death from Dictionary: Death – a permanent cessation of all vital functions; the end of life; the cause or occasion of loss of life (Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary) • Basic Legal Definition of Death: Brain Death - irreversible unconsciousness with complete loss of brain function, including the brain stem, although the heartbeat may continue (http://definitions.uslegal.com/b/brain-death) • Definition of Murder: Murder - the crime of unlawfully killing a person especially with malice aforethought (Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary)

  13. S7 (2) • Based on both the facts that Carl Weiss’ original intent was to kill Senator Huey Long and that he did indeed deliver one gunshot to the Senator’s abdomen, after which he was killed himself by Long’s bodyguards, the only logical conclusion was that Weiss did kill the Senator • However, Weiss was legally dead at the time recorded as the time at which the Senator was pronounced dead • In conclusion, based on the evidence presented, Weiss did intend to kill Senator Long when he delivered a single gunshot to his abdomen, however, he did not knowingly kill him due to the fact that he was dead at the time when the bullet he delivered finally served its intended purpose • Therefore, since the definition of death does not include the retention of brain function, it was impossible for Weiss to know that he had, in fact, killed the Senator • Since the only criteria necessary for this crime to be labeled a murder are that it involve the killing of someone and involve the intent to do so prior to the event, Carl Weiss did kill Senator Huey Long, so long as the definition of murder does not require that the person committing the crime have any knowledge or confirmation of the death of that person they intend to kill 85% http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USAlongH.htm http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D0CE0DE1F3EF932A15753C1A967958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all http://definitions.uslegal.com/b/brain-death

  14. Homework

  15. Homework • What would it mean to say: • ‘X kills Y’ • ‘X killed Y’ • ‘X killed Y at time t1’ • ‘Y was killed’ • ‘Y was killed by X’ • ‘Y was killed by X at time t1’ • ‘Y was killed by X at time t2’ • Explain first what you understand by ‘meaning’. Then use this to explain what ‘killing’ means to you. Then use that meaning of ‘killing’ to explain the meaning of each of the sentences above using only ONE scenario, perhaps by stating that under your definition of ‘killing’ some sentences are non-sensical. • Send me your answer • in PowerPoint • by email (ceusters@buffalo.edu) • not later than January 27, 10 PM, • Answers should include reference to or citations from any source or document that you used to formulate an answer

  16. Hints • Word • Sentence • Definition • Meaning • Semantic triangle • Denotation • Reference • Reality • Belief • Representation

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