Preexisting Duty. The state of Connecticut offered a 20,000 reward to anyone giving information leading to the arrest and conviction of the individual responsible for the murder of a man who was killed during the course of a robbery. Robert DePretis, a private investigator hired by an attorneyJoseph Gallicchiorepresenting a codefendant in the case, obtained a written and signed confession from James Avis, in which Avis admitted responsibility for the murder, and delivered the confession to the state police. This information eventually led to Avis's arrest, and Avis was later convicted for the crime. When DePretis tried to obtain the reward money, the state claimed, among other things, that DePretis was not eligible to collect the reward because, as Gallicchio's private investigator, he had a preexisting duty to investigate and report information relating to the crime. DePretis argued that although he commenced his activity in this matter as a result of his relationship with the attorney, he had no dutyas a police officer wouldto continue his investigations. What will the court decide? Discuss.
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