In July 1884, the English yacht Mignonette sank in the South Atlantic, leaving four men stranded on a 13-foot lifeboat over 1,000 miles from land. After nearly three weeks with virtually no food or water, 17-year-old cabin boy Richard Parker fell into a coma from drinking seawater. Believing Parker was close to death anyway, Thomas Dudley and Edwin Stephens killed the boy and fed on his body alongside the fourth survivor, Brooks, who did not participate in the killing.
Four days later, they were rescued by a passing vessel and returned to England. Expecting sympathy under the traditional custom of the sea, Dudley and Stephens openly admitted to the act. Instead, they were charged with murder.
The resulting trial, R v Dudley and Stephens, tested whether extreme necessity could justify taking an innocent life. Lord Chief Justice Coleridge ruled firmly against them, stating that to preserve one's life is generally a duty, but it may be the plainest duty to sacrifice it. The court established that necessity is never a defense against a charge of murder, setting a legal standard that endures across common law systems today.