Queen vs. Dudley and Stephens; opening statement

This is the case of Queen vs. Dudley and Stephens. Before I begin, I want to remind you that this is the court of law. In this country, the law states that any person who deliberately takes the life of another is guilty of murder. There is no question as to who took the life of Brooks, a man with families and loved ones waiting for him to return from sea. The murderers sit in the seats of the defendants today. Thomas Dudley and Edward Stephens had deliberately took the life of Mr. Brooks in his most defenseless state, therefore breaking the law and deserve their rightful punishment. Here they are today, trying to excuse themselves from this devilish act. On July 5th, 1884, a day no different others, Brooks, Dudley and Stephens was caught in a storm on the high seas 1600 miles from land. This bought them onto an isolated island with only two tins of turnip and no tools. They were trapped on the island for a total of thirty days. In the first 12 days, the turnips was consumed, along with a turtle they caught. For the next eight days, they had no nourishment except for rain water and urine. By the 25th day, everyone was starving and weak. It was agreed upon that they will draw straws and the loser will be eaten. At this point, is crucial to remember that this contract does not work in court for several reasons. One of which is that a oral contract cannot be used as evidence in court because it is not concrete evidence. Another reason is that any contract, oral or written, based on an illegal purpose, in this case, homicide, does not and will not work in court. The next day, Brooks lost the drawing, but refuses to be eaten, like any other normal human beings would. Hearing this, Dudley and Stephens agreed to kill and eat Brooks because “he would die anyways”. Using this obscene reason, they murdered him and fed on him. Five days later, they were rescued. And here they sit before us today, pleading to be excused. Their defense attorney will tell you a story