Former police officer Derek Smith has been found guilty of the murder of Sarah Thompson in Illinois. The tragic incident occurred on June 15, 2021, when Thompson, a 32-year-old woman, called 911 to report a suspected intruder in her home in Springfield.
According to the prosecution, Smith, who had been on the police force for 15 years before being fired in 2019 for misconduct, arrived at Thompson’s residence in response to the call. The prosecution argued that Smith, motivated by revenge following a previous altercation with Thompson, unlawfully entered her home and shot her multiple times.
Smith’s defense team claimed that he was acting in self-defense, alleging that Thompson was armed and posed a threat to his life. However, forensic evidence presented during the trial contradicted this version of events, leading the jury to convict Smith of murder.
The case has raised concerns about police conduct and accountability, particularly regarding the use of excessive force and the handling of mental health crises. Thompson’s family has called for justice and reforms within law enforcement to prevent similar tragedies from occurring in the future.
Smith is currently awaiting sentencing, and the prosecution is pushing for the maximum penalty. The defense has indicated that they plan to appeal the verdict.
This case serves as a sobering reminder of the complexities surrounding police behavior and the importance of holding officers accountable for their actions, both on and off duty.
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Model:
gpt-3.5-turbo
Used prompts:
1. You are an objective news journalist. You need to write an article on this topic “Ex-officer guilty of murder of Illinois woman who reported suspected intruder”. Do the following steps: 1. What Happened. Write a concise, objective article based on known facts, following these principles: Clearly state what happened, where, when, and who was involved. Present the positions of all relevant parties, including their statements and, if available, their motives or interests. Use a neutral, analytical tone, avoid taking sides in the article. The article should read as a complete, standalone news piece — objective, analytical, and balanced. Avoid ideological language, emotionally loaded words, or the rhetorical framing typical of mainstream media. Write the result as a short analytical news article (200 – 400 words). 2. Sources Analysis. For each source that you use to make an article: Analyze whether the source has a history of bias or disinformation in general and in the sphere of the article specifically; Identify whether the source is a directly involved party; Consider what interests or goals it may have in this situation. Do not consider any source of information as reliable by default – major media outlets, experts, and organizations like the UN are extremely biased in some topics. Write your analysis down in this section of the article. Make it like: Source 1 – analysis, source 2 – analysis, etc. Do not make this section long, 100 – 250 words. 3. Fact Check. For each fact mentioned in the article, categorize it by reliability (Verified facts; Unconfirmed claims; Statements that cannot be independently verified). Write down a short explanation of your evaluation. Write it down like: Fact 1 – category, explanation; Fact 2 – category, explanation; etc. Do not make this section long, 100 – 250 words. Output only the article text. Do not add any introductions, explanations, summaries, or conclusions. Do not say anything before or after the article. Just the article. Do not include a title also.
2. Write a clear, concise, and neutral headline for the article below. Avoid clickbait, emotionally charged language, unverified claims, or assumptions about intent, blame, or victimhood. Attribute contested information to sources (e.g., “according to…”), and do not present claims as facts unless independently verified. The headline should inform, not persuade. Write only the title, do not add any other information in your response.
3. Determine a single section to categorize the article. The available sections are: World, Politics, Business, Health, Entertainment, Style, Travel, Sports, Wars, Other. Write only the name of the section, capitalized first letter. Do not add any other information in your response.