Stripper Kristina Hensley Faces Murder Charges
In a previous post, we discussed the news that exotic dancer Kristina Hensley was arrested in connection with the death of her last client, Jae Cho. Hensley allegedly hit Cho with her SUV and dragged him under the car about two miles to a local gas station where she had driven to ask for help. Hensley had left Cho's house in a panic.
New charges and further investigation have reavealed more details. At the time the story broke, charges against Hensley were limited to failing to stop after an accident. Now Britain's Daily Mail reports Hensley faces murder charges on two seperate counts, aggravated robbery, failure to stop after an accident and theft.
According to investigators, Hensley was called to perform at a private party in Cho's home, but left abruptly after he began touching her inappropriately. Hensley says that she went out to her car and was then followed and threatened by Cho who said he would slash her tires. As she tried to drive away, Cho stepped in front of the car and was hit. The Daily Mail reports Hensley had told police she felt and heard something, but did not know that she had trapped Cho under her car, where he remained until she stopped a the gas station for assistance.
Prosecutors say Hensley is completely responsible for Cho's death and the evidence at trial will bear them out. "It is an event that never should have occurred and Ms. Hensley is responsible for the death of Jae Cho," Hamilton Prosecutor Robin Piper told the Kentucky Post.
According to the Daily Mail, Hensley is facing two separate murder charges, one which is murder during the commission of a robbery and one for the assault with the vehicle. It remains to be seen whether the prosecutors can prove all the elements of each crime. Since Henley has maintained from the start that she did not know that Cho was trapped under her vehicle and was clearly in distress at the time, the ability of the prosecution to prove her intent to kill may be limited.
The elements necessary to prove murder (not pre-meditated) include an intentional killing that is not planned or committed in a reasonable "heat of passion" or a killing caused by dangerous conduct.In this case, if the intent to kill is not there for the murder charge, it may become a question of voluntary manslaughter instead.
If convicted on the murder charge alone, Kristina Hensley faces 15 years to life.
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