Reply #31: To give him a chute that would not open is called MURDER.

[happyslug]

The Federal Government can use force to stop a theft, they can even shoot someone they think is armed, but the Government can not just kill a felon without some justification that it was necessary to protect someone's life. Leaving D.B. Cooper escaping by parachute is NOT preventing an felon from doing harm to another (Financial harm does NOT count).

Furthermore in mid-1960s the Supreme Court had to rule on the common law rule that it was legal to kill a felon to prevent him from escaping. The Court ruled that Common Law Rule was unconstitutional for it denied the accused his day in court (i.e. violated the felon's right to Due Process). The case used by the Supreme Court did NOT involve a felon who was a danger to anyone else, he was just a felon running away from the Police. The Court ruled, unless the felon is believed to be armed or otherwise is a danger to himself or others, the Police had no right to kill him just because he was an escaping felon (The case itself was a lawsuit so the Police had to pay, to my knowledge no charges were ever filed against the officer who did the shooting).

Thus by the time D.B. Cooper made his move, it was clear killing D.B. Cooper, unless you can show it was to prevent him from killing someone else, would make the law enforcement officers who did it liable for his death (At least being sued, just for the bad parachute, and maybe even charged with murder). No Law Enforcement Officer or airline was going to take that risk.