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“It was a clumsy attempt that seemed unpremeditated and it didn’t make sense.”

Richmond initially was charged with unpremeditated murder, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison.

The events would seem to constitute a case of felony murder, i.e., a killing committed in the furtherance of another felony, even if unpremeditated, as long as the other felony was planned.

After deliberating for about 30 hours over six days, jurors found McClam not guilty of first-degree, or premeditated, murder but said they could not reach a verdict on a charge of second-degree, or unpremeditated, murder.

It fulfills our yearning for “authenticity”: Colloquial speech sounds direct and unpremeditated.