Legal Responsibility for Deaths Explained

You can be charged for a death even if you didn't land the final blow. In Canadian law,

a crime needs two things: the "guilty act" and the "guilty mind." The act has to be

voluntary, so no, you can't be charged for something you did while sleepwalking.

But the "guilty mind" is wild—it can be anything from direct intent to being reckless

or even just choosing to ignore an obvious truth, like "don't tell me what's in the

package." When it comes to causing harm, the law asks if your act was a "significant

contributing cause." Even if someone else joins the fight, you're not automatically off the hook.