The Illustrated Guide to Criminal Law
Chapter 9: At Least You Tried.
Attempt pg 11: Mere Intent
So the same goes for Dana, who actually intends to kill you. Although she’s loaded with mens rea, she hasn’t done anything with it.
Silhouette of Dana in a chair, playing with a yo-yo.
Mens rea without some actus reus is never a crime. So Dana doesn’t deserve to be punished, either.
Average Joe in detective garb.
AVERAGE JOE
Still, you probably ought to steer clear of her.
I thought planning a crime often was a crime in itself. Like, if the police come across somebody’s plans for a bank heist, isn’t that cause enough to arrest them?
Keep reading about four more pages…
I would guess that although she plans to hurt you, “hurt you at some point in the future” is as specific as those plans get. That’s not really a plan, that’s a goal.