Qualified murder. The aggravating circumstantial elements related to the commission of the crime with premeditation (I) and cruelty (II)

Abstract

I. There are indications of premeditation when the defendant purchases a knife two weeks before and places it in the trunk of his car, uses a false pretext to convince the victim to meet him and, in particular, to get into the car, takes precautions not to be followed, and stops the car in an isolated place.
II. There are indications of cruelty when the defendant inflicts eight stab wounds on the victim, transports her for 2-3 hours while she is in that condition, thus preventing her from receiving medical care, and makes, during the transport, statements and interrogations such as: “Are you really never going to die?”, “Can you swim?”, “I have to get rid of you at all costs!”, “I will cut you into pieces and throw you in the dumpster!”, “I will throw you under the train!”.