But who did?
Charles Manson, if you don't know the name, was found guilty in the 60's for the horrendous murders of the Tate/LiaBianca families. He did not use a knife, a gun or any other physical weapon to commit this crime. Yet he was found to be responsible and has been imprisoned since.
Why?
In short, Manson, much like Saruman, convinced his sick followers to carry out the foul deed. He was then held responsible due to something called the 'joint-responsibility rule,' meaning that he, as a part of the conspiracy to commit murder, was just as responsible as those who physically participated in the crime.
So, with that *legal* thought in mind (you can leave all the gory stuff behind), we come upon a new case, the case of the murder of the Steward's son.
As we all know, the Uruks shot Boromir with more than the recommended daily allowance of arrows. So, yes, they killed him. But Saruman sent the Uruks to retrieve the Halflings, and to kill all others (it's interesting that the only 'other' is Boromir). So this white wizard too is at fault.
We could list Elrond for letting Boromir into the Nine, and even Denethor for sending his son north.
But to someone as suspicious as myself, these culprits are too obvious, and so may be just the patsies/scapegoats for the person/persons/being ultimately responsible.
This thought to look deeper came when I last heard these words:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Boromir
For on the eve of the sudden assault a dream came to my brother in a troubled sleep; and afterwards a like dream came oft to him again, and once to me.
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Who sent this dream? And why, when the 'message' had already been sent to/received by Faramir (in multiplicate), was there a need to send it once -
once! - to Boromir, who, without this event, could make no claim on the northern journey.*
I conclude that it is this dream sender who is responsible for Boromir's death.
( * Yes, Boromir would most probably have died in the Battle of the Pelennor Fields, if not sooner. Yet he would have died freely, not pushed/manipulated into his death by some invisible force.)