Three Court Cases About Killing

May 13, 2026, 21:29
New ZealandOther

Introduction

This report looks at three court cases. In these cases, people killed other people. Some say they did it on purpose. Others say they did it to save their lives.

Main Body

In New Zealand, Stefan and Ethan are in court. They killed Sidney. The police say they planned the killing because they hated their neighbor. Stefan says he was scared and had to shoot. In Las Vegas, 17-year-old Dennis is in court. He killed Marceline. The police have a recording of the crime. They found blood on his shoes. Dennis says he did not do it. In Calgary, Paulos is in court. He killed Donald during a drug deal. The police say Paulos tried to steal money. Paulos says Donald attacked him in a car, so he used a gun to stay safe.

Conclusion

The courts must now decide. They need to find if these people planned the crimes or if they were just protecting themselves.

Learning

πŸ” Spotting the Action

In this text, we see many words that tell us what happened. To get to A2, you need to know how to talk about the past.

The 'Past' Pattern Look at these words from the story:

  • Killed β†’\rightarrow (Happened before)
  • Planned β†’\rightarrow (Happened before)
  • Found β†’\rightarrow (Happened before)
  • Attacked β†’\rightarrow (Happened before)

Wait! Some are different:

  • Say and Need β†’\rightarrow These are happening now.

πŸ’‘ Simple Word Swap

Instead of saying "they did it on purpose," you can use this word: Planned

  • Example: "They planned the killing." β†’\rightarrow This means they thought about it before they did it.

πŸ› οΈ Quick Tip

Notice how the text uses "in" for places:

  • In New Zealand
  • In Las Vegas
  • In Calgary

Use In + City/Country to tell someone where a story takes place.

Vocabulary Learning

report (n.)
A written or spoken description of events or findings.
Example:The police wrote a report about the incident.
court (n.)
A place where legal cases are decided.
Example:She went to court to hear the judge.
case (n.)
A legal proceeding or situation.
Example:The case was about a theft.
people (n.)
Human beings.
Example:Many people attended the event.
killed (v.)
To cause death.
Example:The suspect tried to kill his neighbor.
save (v.)
To keep safe or alive.
Example:They tried to save their lives.
police (n.)
Law enforcement officers.
Example:The police arrested the suspect.
planned (v.)
Decided in advance.
Example:They planned the attack.
shoot (v.)
To fire a gun.
Example:He had to shoot to protect himself.
safe (adj.)
Free from danger.
Example:He felt safe after locking the door.