Murder in Texas law

Murder in Texas constitutes the intentional killing, under circumstances defined by law, of people within or under the jurisdiction of the U.S. state of Texas.

The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that in the year 2020, the state had a murder rate slightly above the median for the entire country.[1]

Felony murder rule

The felony murder rule in Texas, codified in Texas Penal Code § 19.02(b)(3),[2] states that a person commits murder if they "commits or attempts to commit a felony, other than manslaughter, and in the course of and in furtherance of the commission or attempt, or in immediate flight from the commission or attempt, they commits or attempts to commit an act clearly dangerous to human life that causes the death of an individual."

The felony murder rule is sometimes confused with the law of parties,[3] which states that a person can be criminally responsible for the actions of another by aiding or abeting, or conspires with the principal.

Penalties
Offense Mandatory sentencing[4]
Murder 5 to 99 years or life (possibility of parole after at least 30 years. If sentenced to any amount under 60 you'll be eligible for release after half the sentence but 60+ is 30 years
Capital murder Death or life without parole (Parole eligible after 40 years if under 18)

References
  1. "National Center for Health Statistics: Homicide Mortality by State". Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. February 16, 2021. Retrieved September 24, 2021.
  2. "Texas Penal Code Section 19.02, Murder". 2016. Retrieved August 1, 2016.
  3. "Texas Penal Code Section 7.02, Criminal Responsibility for Conduct of Another". 2016. Retrieved August 1, 2016.
  4. "PENAL CODE CHAPTER 12. PUNISHMENTS". Statutes.legis.state.tx.us. Retrieved August 2, 2012.

See also


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.