comment: >
  
  A quick Google search tells me that Illinois does not use the standard common law definition of first-degree murder.   It's closer to the model Penal Code but not exactly that either
  First degree murder in Illinois under Illinois code 720 5/9-1   is one of the following without a legal justification:
  
  
  Causing the death of an individual with the intent to kill or the intent to cause great bodily harm.  
  
  
  Performing an act that causes a death with the knowledge that the act creates a great probability of death or great bodily harm. 
  
  
  Causes of death while in the commission of a forcible felony.  
  
  
  The death penalty in Illinois is determined by the presence of aggravating circumstances which don't generally seem to be an issue in this case. Otherwise first-degree murder is punishable by a sentence of 20 years.
context: According to the coroner’s autopsy report, Moore died of “compressional and positional asphyxia due to prone facedown restraint on a paramedic transportation cot/stretcher by tightened straps across back and lower body in the setting of lethargy and underlying chronic alcoholism.” >
  
  Tightened straps across the back and lower body? WTH >
  
  You mean how they strap everyone into a moving vehicle on a gurney?  Yes.
  The facedown would probably be due to fears of vomiting and ashpyxiation from that.
  That's a far cry from intentionally and actively killing the man.   These charges will be at worst lowered to a negligent homicide if any going forward. >
  
  Find me the training that recommends face down.  You won't find it.  Those EMTs have a choice, Follow the manual/training or do nothing and walk away.  The option of doing whatever the fuck you want can land you in prison. >
  
  They may have not followed the proscribed rules and yet that does not make the correct charge be murder.
  Do you argue that? >
  
  I do, in this line of work, you don't get not to follow proscribed rules because it can kill someone, and they are not doctors with the extra training to go off the book. >
  
  Please tell me why you believe that having him face down is a case of actively killing the man?  For murder there must be intent.  
  If you're on the jury would you think that action would be akin to placing a plastic bag of his head and tying it off or they were negligent in following the rules?
  They're responsible for the death but it sure isn't murder. >
  
  Training, you can place them face up, or you can use the recovery position; they specifically teach not to do face down because they can aspirate and die... Which is what happened.  Its just like we train people nut to drive there cars into other people.
  This is taught in
  Basic First aid,
  Advanced First Aid,
  Certified Nursing Assistants,
  EMT
  ETC.. >
  
  Again that is not the point.   You're describing negligence, not the intent to kill him. >
  
  Gross negligence, or negligent homicide. >
  
  It is a clearly stated rule in EMS that no patient is to be restrained in thr prone position and it has been so for a decade. Presumably this is because enough folks died just like this.
  They used to "sandwich" combative patients between 2 backboard until that also was a no-no. >
  
  It seems like common sense you'd never strap people down like that.  Not an EMT, I just think instinctually that's not what a reasonable person would do. >
  
  The only thing I (the furthest person from being a medical professional) could think make me want to lay someone prone is to ensure they don't choke themselves on potential vomit.
  But there are certainly better ways to mitigate that than strapping someone face down in an ambulance. >
  
  That is where I went. They had other methods but those require active intervention so they strapped him face down so he didn't aspirate, rode up front and didn't realize he suffocated in the back.
  Speculative - they probably have a manual tool to clear airways or rotate the entire backboard for vomiting patients. Anything like that requires active intervention. Instead they did the zero effort version and I bet both rode up front in comfy seats. >
  
  I may have missed the part of them riding up front…if they both rode up front this call keeps getting worse. As mentioned by other comments there is less evasive measures that require less work such as left-lateral recumbent (laying on left side) that would work. >
  
  Why TF would they strap him down in the prone position? >
  
  Right?? Is this a thing? Like is there ever a situation where it’s a good idea to do that? >
  
  I am a paramedic and the first thing they teach us about positioning is to NEVER do that. Ever. >
  
  Damn. I didn’t know humans had this weakness. >
  
  Humans are simultaneously the most fragile and most durable beings on the planet >
  
  I don’t know… I’ve owned a succulent before… >
  
  Humans are about on par with succulents. Generally considered hardy but we could technically die from a scratch >
  
  Paramedic here- you almost never transport a patient in the prone position, barring very rare traumatic injuries that require a different patient position. They also tightened the straps on the cot way beyond a necessary amount. They were frustrated and taking it out on the patient. They also “burrito’d the patient with the blanket (not an unusual thing, but never in the prone position) and clearly had no intention of getting any vitals during transport. All in all, they made horrible decisions that resulted in a man dying and they deserve to be held accountable. >
  
  Is it common to be in this mood in your profession? Like, I know it’s a stressful environment so how much does that factor into a situation like this. Thanks for sharing! >
  
  Unfortunately…I think every medic can identify with some part of the video, up until they put him on the cot face down. There are a lot of issues with the system and it does tend to get abused. We can go to the same house multiple times in a week for patients who are unwillingly to help us or themselves. It’s frustrating. So I can understand, not condone, but understand the initial attitudes of the medics. But it is the job we signed up for. And calls like these where frustration boils over aren’t the norm, but yes it can happen. However compromising patient safety because of your poor attitude should never happen and thankfully very rarely does. >
  
  When I watched the video I could only think of the time one paramedic kept demanding me to stand up and get onto the cot thing when I'm disabled and can't stand up without my walker... plus when I had called in for help it was because my leg was in excruciating pain which actually made me end up in the icu for a month. They eventually dragged me onto the cot after my care worker protested for me. My speech is very slurred and disjointed so he kept saying I was drunk and a bunch of other rather rude things to me during the ambulance ride. It was awful the dude just hated me for some reason. Maybe he thought I was faking it but yea no one should let their poor attitudes affect patient care. I know the job is stressful and some patients can be rather uncooperative etc... I feel bad for this poor guy. Paramedics are amazing lifesavers and saved me many times. This shouldn't have ever happened to him. >
  
  That EMS woman seems like a miserable cunt. >
  
  And apparently misery ages you, as the CNN article lists her as only 44.
  I mean, I hate to be yet another catty person on the internet, but that made me double take. >
  
  Ofc, we would never stoop to such a low level. But, since we are dealing with a piece of human garbage and already here…yeah, she easily looks 10-15 years older than 44. >
  
  I'm not quite ready to call her human garbage. Mug shots tend to age you and it's a thankless low paying stressful job where half the time you're dealing with junkies, drunks, the extremely obese patients who literally have fallen and can't get up. You can say "we treat each person as a human being" but if you do this kind of work for 20 years I imagine you become jaded af. And you are responsible for people's lives while getting paid and treated like a fast food worker. >
  
  "Finley is heard yelling at Moore to get up and walk out to the ambulance. “You’re gonna have to walk ‘cause we ain’t carrying you!” she says. “I am seriously not in the mood for this dumb sh*t.”
  Oh this doesn't look good for her... >
  
  Honestly this isn't just a failing on the part of the paramedics. this is a failing of the higher ups and the entire system.
  All medical and police included really need reasonable pay and proper mental help. days off and systems in place to help keep them from feeling the effect of the stuff they deal with, lose of life and stress of it. the hours the people.. its a hard job.
  Dealing with this day in, day out, can be as traumatic. there really needs to be systems to help these people do these jobs. >
  
  Ex paramedic here. Have I yelled at someone to walk? Absolutely. After an assessment when my medical judgement is that they can physically walk, but they’re choosing not to. Paramedics deal with all subsections of society, including people that crave attention and try to make things purposely hard. I’m not injuring my back for someone that can walk but chooses not to in order to be difficult. 
  That said, I have not and would NEVER put someone prone (facedown) on a stretcher. That’s an idiot move, and I’m not surprised the person died. Positional asphyxia is a real thing, and I’ve even had yelling matches with cops who demanded they be able to restrain a patient face down on my stretcher. My stretcher, my ambulance, my rules. All patients on their back. Every paramedic learns that in school, and it should be employer policy as well. 
  These two killed the person because of their incompetence. >
  
  I said it earlier on the post, but I think every medic can identify with parts of the interaction. Not wanting to deal with an “uncooperative” patient, demanding the DOB so she can get the report done ASAP. Hopefully we can all learn from stuff like this and have a little more grave during our next frustrating call. >
  
  Fuck. When I stopped drinking, I was hallucinating and had delirium tremens to the point I couldn't even stand up. For them to try and force him to walk and saying you're not "in the mood for this dumb shit" then you're in the wrong profession. When they took me to the hospital they helped me on the gurney and had to strap me down due to the involuntary movement / jerking of my body. 
  Fuck this gave me anxiety just reading it. >
  
  EMTs and paramedics deal with so many people who abuse the system.  While working security I happened upon a lady sitting on the sidewalk screaming that she needed an ambulance.  I called, and when they got there they knew her by name and made her get up and walk over to the rig.  Of course they didn’t strap her face down to the gurney.  And I saw plenty of other instances of police/fire/medical arriving, seeing who the person was they were called for, rolling their eyes at the complaints and being rather terse with the person.  But they still followed protocols and treated the patient. >
  
  I have an aunt who calls an ambulance 2 times a week at least. The tons of money wasted on her, never anything wrong, they send her home. The family has washed their hands of her, was always needing money, a car, something, they got tired of it. >
  
  My neighbor down the street had one at least once a month. The first time was alarming. The second concerning. The third was kinda... huh? After that it was, 'oh. Ambulance is down the street again.' >
  
  Obviously I don’t know the specifics of your neighbor but it is possible (unlikely, as it’s rare, specific circumstances) that your neighbor legitimately needed an ambulance that often. 
  Before she died my grandma had a tracheotomy and a bi-pap machine (basically, an at home respirator) and regularly needed to go to the hospital to have her trach switched out. She was only able to be transported by ambulance so the ambulance came once a month to pick her up, more often if there was an issue. We lived on a busy street so they always kept the lights on for safety (so no one hit them) and the transport was pre-determined (I.e. unless there was a problem we were calling the non-emergency line). I’m curious what the neighbors unfamiliar with our specific situation must have thought. >
  
  
  Finley and Cadigan were arrested on January 9 and charged with first-degree murder, court documents show. 
  
  Doesn't a first degree charge require premeditation or require a knowledge that what you were doing would result in death? I could see a manslaughter charge here, but first-degree murder? That'll be a tough sell to a jury.