In 1990, Jeffery Cain was killed due to a road rage shooting in Anchorage, Alaska.  George Kerr learned from his friends that they were the ones responsible for Cain’s death, and he proceeded to tell the police what he knew about the shooting.  Kerr said:

I usually would not rat out my friends, but this is just so severe I got to do it.

After George Kerr’s friends were convicted of this crime, they made a revenge plan and sent a bomb to his home intended to kill him.  Kerr was not home; the bomb killed his father.  If you were in George Kerr’s position, what would you have done?

Imagine that you are in the situation described:  A friend confides in you that they have committed a crime; you promise never to tell anyone.  You learn that an innocent person has been accused of the crime that your friend committed.  You ask your friend to give themselves up, but they refuse and remind you of the promise you accepted.  What do you do regarding this moral issue?  Does your decision change depending on the type of crime – murder, embezzlement, hit and run?  Where do you draw the line in this moral dilemma, with regards to when to reveal your friend and when you keep their promise?