I was really hoping that Shepherd Book's flamboyant fashion designer would turn out to be an act.

As for treating the killers like they weren't criminals because they were old and cute--well.

I dunno, given the circumstances of the death, I feel like a really good lawyer could have gotten them off completely. I'm lactose intolerant, I have the responsibility to confirm that something is dairy-free before I put it in my mouth or I take the consequences. And my consequences aren't nearly that dire. He knows he's allergic to nuts, and brownies having nuts in them is a pretty standard occurrence (not like the peanut butter in the chili in the episode of...Monk? CSI?...something). As they put it, "He choked on his rudeness". Now, if he had died from the greasy stair or the cut brake lines, that would be a different story (and I think you're right that those 2 characters probably shouldn't have been let off for being old and cute...or wait, have I talked myself around to your point...maybe they should have all gone down for conspiracy, if not for the death itself...which would make it Felony Murder...I dunno...I've only taken Business Law, my Criminal Law experience is 99% what I've learned on TV. Maybe I agree with you...

I was really hoping that Shepherd Book's flamboyant fashion designer would turn out to be an act.

This however, I can def agree would have been awesome.

Depraved indifference, maybe.

The FrangelicO in the frosting (not Frangelica like they kept saying) should have scuttled the whole thing anyway.

Doesn't intending to kill him affect what they can be charged with? Just because he made it easier doesn't mean they weren't executing their steps in a pre-meditated murder.

We all have responsibilities not to put ourselves in danger. But unless you're Zimmerman, the person who sets out to kill you because of or despite your carelessness is still culpable.

The FrangelicO in the frosting (not Frangelica like they kept saying) should have scuttled the whole thing anyway

Why?

If they only did the brownies, I don't think you could prove intent, "If only he had asked what was in the brownies, we could have warned him!" *bats innocent eyes* The stair and the brake lines show intent and a pattern of actions, I think, but the brownies alone could be a "tragic accident".

Because it would smell (and taste) of hazelnuts. As opposed to the almond milk in the batter, which wouldn't be detectable.

the brownies alone could be a "tragic accident".

But they knew he took something that would kill him, and made no attempt to stop him. And then they staged a suicide scene. No intent there?

Because it would smell (and taste) of hazelnuts

Frangelico smells of sugar to me. What nut did he have the reaction to earlier? Because if you've never tasted hazelnuts, you can't detect them by taste. Hell, if the first time you tasted them you went on to almost die, the flavour might be overshadowed by the almost dying.

Fair enough. It just seemed unnecessarily foolish (even given the criminal masterminds in question) to cover them in something nut-flavored after all the trouble they took to conceal.

the brownies alone could be a "tragic accident".

But they knew he took something that would kill him, and made no attempt to stop him.

That's why I used the quotation marks. Without all the other incidents and all the other circumstances, it might have passed. They could claim they forgot he was allergic, or that they tried to warn him but, being the ass that he was, he ignored them, or that they didn't realize he was having a reaction because their hearing "isn't what it used to be". Plus, if it had been just anaphylactic shock, without the prior injury (and the staged gas leak), it probably would never have caught Dr. Morales' eye in the first place. I'm not saying that it wouldn't have been murder, just that they might well have gotten away with it (if they hadn't done all the other stuff on top of it).

And then they staged a suicide scene. No intent there?

Naw, that was just pretty dumb.

I thought that the real issue was that they heard him gasping for help and let him die. That to me was the WORST for some reason. Clearly they wanted him dead and essentially planned to kill him twice over, but what kind of person are you to listen to someone moaning for help and say "fuck it?"