Our brains are constructed from matter. I think our thoughts use chemicals and electricity? Right? Our brains, like everything else, is a chain reaction of chemicals, other matter, and electricity. Some chain reactions being more complex than others, of course. The human brain is arguably the most complex chain reaction in the universe, but it is still a collection of the chemicals, matter, and electricity, just like what you might find in a chemical lab, volcano, or even our remote controls.
As such, when I shoot someone, there is one or several laws of physics that come together, to create an electrical impulse in my brain. That electrical impulse is the first step in a chain reaction of events that passes through the nerve cells in the arm, then the contraction of my trigger finger, causing shapes of matter to shift around and ignite some gun powder... It gets grizzly from there, but you get the idea.
It really doesn't stop there, either, does it. I would not have been able to pull that trigger if I had not eaten this year. There is a long trail that lead up to my consumption of that food, and even the slow creation of the stomach that I use to incorporate it into my body (or cluster of clusters of co-reacting chain reactions of matter under the influence of the laws of physics), and on, and on...
The victim's body will go on too. It will decompose and it will fertilize things, and perform other dead body activities.
It actually goes on until the end of time, if you do not overestimate the weight of the fact that over time, that dead body's affect on the world and the universe is diluted by the huge sea of other events and matter throughout time, and over distance. The dead body doesn't matter much in 100 years, or to the inhabitants of Omecron Percei 8.
What are the limiting or end laws on this?
I have trained my dog to poo on command. When going through our normal potty cycle he will wait for me to tell him to go. When I do, it seems he HAS to sniff. This may actually be required for him, for he insists upon it. This caused me to think. Yes, I thought about this while my dog stunk up the yard. Does he have a choice in whether or not to sniff before he pees? I know that I have a hard time taking drug tests in which some guy is present. Perhaps it is similar. Can you pee on command? Perhaps dogs have something in-grained that causes this. Does he have a choice?
I have brought up the logical experiment before. You are stranded in a huge desert. You walk for two days with no water. Some guy comes up from the distance and offers you a glass of water, or a slinky.
Using scientific method we can make predictions based upon our theories. If I were to make the prediction that something would happen, based on the laws of physics, then we can use that as evidence. This breaks down due to the fact, I think, that this is a gray area for people. What is a "choice"?
If I can predict that you will choose the glass of water, am I adding a bit of evidence to a prediction that I make based off of the known laws of physics themselves, or am I making a prediction based off of the person, or of reoccurrences and past events in my life?
Well, what did you choose?