What could they charge Paul Kersey for if caught?
I'm not a police officer or district attorney but I'm well rounded in most topics. Watching this I began to wonder, what exactly could they charge him with?
The first murder if they found Kersey, they would find out it was self defense and he shot him. His word against a man with a rap sheet and drug user.
Second time was saving the man who was being mugged by 3 people. He shot the two again in self defense and ok he shot the guy in the back who was running away. Again if caught he could say he was there tried to help the man and shot the 3 people coming after him. It's his word against 3 dead robbers with weapons who were mugging a man who would testify for Kersey's sake. Sure he shot him in the back and that's fishy in itself but he was a mugger and again it's Kersey's word against a dead criminal.
The other time in the subway, two people with weapons trying to rob him, Kersey shoots them both.
My argument is basically all the people he shot had weapons trying to either harm him or rob him. He shoots and kills them and if caught would say it was self defense and he could stretch the truth and say he was chased by them and shot back. Granted it would be clear of his vigilante intentions but in most cases it's just plain self defense and in some dancing on a fine line (shooting man in back), which I'd imagine the police cannot charge you since it's fairly clear the man had a weapon and was committing a crime.
Thoughts all welcome. If anyone is a police officer or knows the legal system I'd love to know what the police would have charged him with during his first few vigilante murders.