Police in New Jersey have arrested Breanna Beacham of Willingboro after she allegedly murdered her own mother. The details of this developing story are still coming to the public in bits and pieces, but according to arresting documents, the 32-year-old has been charged in association with the murder -- which took place on Monday. Fox News 29 reports that police responded to a residence in Willingboro on a call that an assault was in progress. When they arrived, it was already too late. Fifty-seven-year-old Kim Beacham-Hanson was found unresponsive at the scene. She had been bludgeoned to death, and her daughter was immediately taken in to police custody. Breanna Beacham has been charged with first-degree murder, possession of a weapon for unlawful purpose and unlawful possession of a weapon -- all three felony charges. At this time, the motive for the murder is unknown.
When Hannah Kobayashi disappeared in early November, her loved ones were immediately concerned. The 30-year-old Hawaiian woman had missed a flight in Los Angeles, attracting worldwide media attention -- as well as a determined investigation by police. In the earliest days of the investigation -- approximately two weeks after Hannah vanished -- her father committed suicide. Now it's been revealed that her disappearance was entirely voluntarily, and she's refusing to come home to her family. Should this once-missing woman be held criminally responsible for the blood that is on her hands, among other things?
Hannah Kobayashi was located safely a few days ago, and it was revealed through the investigation that she'd gone voluntarily missing all along. Her father's suicide that took place in November was all for nothing, and the GoFundMe which accumulated over $45k, has been closed. The loved ones of the once-missing woman are starting to issue refunds to the thousands of people who donated toward the search efforts. People reports that Kobayashi is in Mexico, where she's been since November. Loved ones have been in contact with her, and she's expressed no interest in coming back to the United States.
Should Hannah Kobayashi face criminal charges?
Multiple media reports declare that as a voluntarily missing person, Hannah committed no crimes and is likely to face no consequences. However, it could be argued that the wasteful use of police resources -- along with the GoFundMe donations, could produce some kind of criminal charges. Furthermore, Hannah Kobayashi created the facade of foul play in the early days of her disappearance, when she sent troubling texts to loved ones implying that she was in some kind of danger.
Then there's the issue of her father's suicide. Ryan Kobayashi was consumed with grief and worry after his daughter had been missing for nearly two weeks. At the time, it was still believed that Hannah Kobayashi was in danger or had been harmed. Ryan jumped from a building in Los Angeles, ending his life believing his daughter had been kidnapped or possibly murdered.
It's definitely true that Hannah Kobayashi is morally responsible for her father's death, but what about the possibility of criminal responsibility? In the state of California, where the suicide of Ryan Kobayashi took place, it is a felony offense to aid, assist or encourage the suicide of another person. This law seems to be specifically designed for cases in which a person has voluntarily and willfully encouraged or assisted in another person's suicide. There don't appear to be any laws which punish someone or their actions for indirectly leading to another person's grief-fueled suicide. That's fortunate for Hannah Kobayashi, who apparently has no plans to leave Mexico either way.
We'll likely never know why Hannah disappeared and allowed the world to believe she vanished under nefarious circumstances. Now that it's been declared a voluntary disappearance, and Hannah is safe, the public isn't entitled to anything else. That's a shame, because Hannah Kobayashi has a lot of explaining to do.
Comments
Post a Comment