It might not even be linked to volcanic activity. Nash explained that the earthquake produced no damage or injuries and was uncommon only in its strength. On Monday, the park, compelled to try to stifle rampant speculation, produced a “Rumor Control” video, featuring public affairs specialist Al Nash. It was the strongest quake to hit the area in more than 30 years. “Yellowstone Buffalo Running for Their Lives!” read one copy, which as of Friday had garnered more than 1 million views.įurther fueling speculation that the running bison were signaling a major event was a 4.8-magnitude earthquake (later downgraded to a 4.7) that shook the park last Sunday. They were just running.”īut copies of his footage carried other descriptions. This week he told the Los Angeles Times, “Those bison were running for the sake of running. “If the herd matriarch gets the urge to run, she will… and the entire herd will run to keep up,” Leckie wrote. Leckie explained on his YouTube description that the herd was running from Mammoth Hot Springs deeper into the park, not fleeing the park. The original footage, uploaded on March 14 by Yellowstone Association sales associate Leo Leckie, was titled “Yellowstone Bison … On the Run!” (Video posted above. Our fact check work is supported in part by a grant from Facebook.Bison gather on road photo courtesy Yellowstone National Parkīut here’s the twist. You can subscribe to our print edition, ad-free app or electronic newspaper replica here. U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Wyoming, accessed March 31, About the District.National Archives, accessed March 31, The Constitution of the United States - Article III, Section 2 Cornell Legal Information Institute, accessed March 31, Sixth Amendment.4, 2016, There's a Section of Yellowstone Where You Can Get Away with Murder Kalt in Georgetown Law Journal, 2008, Tabloid Constitutionalism: How a Bill Doesn’t Become a Law Kalt in Georgetown Law Journal, posted March 25, 2005, The Perfect Crime
As the post states, it is true that there is an area of around 50 square miles in the Idaho portion of Yellowstone National Park where a crime such as murder could theoretically escape conviction. But, no crime committed in the "zone of death" has ever been prosecuted and one case raising the legal issues highlighted by Kalt suggests any such trial would be held in Wyoming, notwithstanding the constitutional issues Kalt has explicated. And the victim of a crime could still file a civil suit. Petty offenses include traffic infractions and some kinds of low-level assaults. Only “serious” offenses - offenses that carry a potential sentence of more than six months - entail the right to trial by jury. USA TODAY reached out to the poster for comment.Įven if Kalt's theory were to be upheld in court, there are other complications that the Instagram post does not note, many of which he acknowledges in his original paper. “If you committed a crime within the zone, there could be no jury because nobody lives there, a trial would be impossible, and, therefore, you could not be convicted,” the post claims. The post has received over 10,500 likes since it was posted on March 9. The theory: There is a 50-square-mile region in Yellowstone National Park where sloppy district boundaries would make the prosecution of serious criminal offenses unconstitutional - in other words, a region where one could get away with murder.Ī popular Instagram post by the account recently posted about the theoretical loophole. Box and it was the subject of an episode of The Atlantic’s podcast "The Experiment." It was covered by The Washington Post, NPR, The BBC it inspired a thriller novel, called "Free Fire," by New York Times bestselling author C.J. Starting in 2005, something unusual happened: a legal theory became part of popular culture. The claim: There’s an area of Yellowstone National Park where you could theoretically escape conviction for murder