State v. Kihnel
Louisiana Court of Appeals
488 So. 2d 1238 (1986)
- Written by Rose VanHofwegen, JD
Facts
Lawrence Kihnel II (defendant) hired contractor Steven Brock to renovate a rental property. When payment for materials came due, Kihnel claimed financial troubles and asked Brock to torch the property for the insurance money or find someone else to do it. Brock immediately reported Kihnel to the authorities, who told Brock to say he had found someone for the job. Kihnel said he wanted a second property burned and someone killed as well. Brock and an undercover police officer posing as a hit man met with Kihnel, discussed the jobs, and agreed on a price, and Kihnel paid some up-front money. Kihnel was arrested that evening and convicted of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and to commit arson. Kihnel appealed, arguing he could not be guilty of conspiracy if his only coconspirators were an informant and an undercover police officer who only feigned agreement to commit the crimes.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Ciaccio, J.)
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