I dont know the answer to this but  Legally how is it possible for a private citizen to violate another private citizens civil rights I dont know if this is the section Nelson was charged under in the federal case but if anyone could explain this I would appreciate it  You can argue whether or not the outcome of the state murder trial was justified thats really not my concern here since its a dead letter  Im concerned about whether the subsequent civil rights prosecution was legal  If the state murder acquittal was a miscarriage of justice its not the first time  Look at Issei Sagawa  Part of having a mature understanding of this sort of thing is to realize that the criminal justice system isnt perfect and that it is inevitable that innocent people will be convicted and that guilty people will be acquited from time to time  Thats the price you pay for having a legal system in the end someone has to make the decision and sometimes they may not necessarily get it right  I dont think its going out on a limb to say that the Sagawa case is completely beyond all reasonable belief