Crimes Against the Person Flashcards
Common Law Murder
Unlawful killing with malice
caused by a
Voluntary Act
involuntary act arising from a voluntary act
or omission
Must be the actual and proximate cause
Death results within one year and one day of the act
Homicide
Killing caused by another with
criminal intent and
without legal excuse or justification
Circumstances creating liability for death where D did not commit the acts causing death
- Accomplice
- conspiracy
- Substantial factor
- Co-Felon Liability
Intent to Kill Murder
consciously desires to kill another
or makes death an inevitable result,
absent justification, excuse, mitigation, or voluntary manslaughter.
Specific Intent Crime
Deadly Weapons Doctrine
intent to kill is inferred from intentional use of an instrument calculated to produce death or serious bodily injury.
Intent to Cause Serious Bodily Harm
Conscious desire or substantial certainty
actions will result in victims injury.
inferred by intentional use of any deadly weapon
in a way likely to cause serious injury.
Depraved-Heart Murder
unintentional killing -
Conduct involving wanton indifference to human life
conscious disregard of unreasonable risk of death or serious injury.
Where D creates such a risk for a logical and socially reasonable purpose, conduct would not be depraved heart murder
ie. encouraging someone to play Russian Roulette with one bullet in the chamber - depraved heart murder.
Felony Murder
Unintentional Killing
Proximately caused
during the commission or attempted commission of
a serious or inherently dangerous felony
Jurisdictional Limitations on Felony Murder Rule
- Underlying felony is collateral - independent of the homicide.
- Inherently Dangerous - burglary, arson, robbery, rape, kidnapping.
- Some have expanded definition beyond ‘inherently dangerous’ and those that are dangerous by the manner of commission, while a minority restrict it to inherently dangerous felonies only.
When a felony begins and ends for purposes of the felony murder rule
Starts when D can be convicted of attempting the underlying felony
Felony need not be completed
Ends when the felon has reached a place of temporary safety.
Agency Theory for Felony Murder (Majority Rule)
No liability for death caused by a non-felon.
Killing must be caused by an agent of the underlying felony.
Vicarious Liability for Felony Murder - Common Law Rule
All felons are liable for killings occurring during the perpetration of a felony regardless of who commits them.
First Degree Murder
committed with premeditation and deliberation
Cannot have implied malice
Premeditation requires some quantity of thought.
Deliberation requires some rational thought to make a deliberate choice to kill.
Voluntary intoxication or diminished capacity may disable the ability to think rationally.
Other elements may be added by legislature that can elevate murder to 1st degree murder such as felony murder, lying in wait, poison, terrorism.
Second Degree Murder
Any intentional killing with malice but without additional element to make it 1st degree.
Voluntary Manslaughter
intentional killing without Malice
mitigated by adequate provocation or
other circumstance negating malice
Sudden heat of passion - where a reasonable person would have been driven to a homicidal rage. Mere words are not enough.
Adequate Provocation for Voluntary Manslaughter
Objective Std -
reasonable person would lose control and did not ‘cool off’
causal connection with grounds for provocation
mere words inadequate
Other Mitigating Circumstances sufficient to reduce murder to voluntary manslaughter.
- Imperfect Self Defense -
honest but unreasonable belief in necessity to use deadly force in self defense. - Diminished Mental Capacity - mental disturbance short of insanity
Involuntary Manslaughter
unintentional killing resulting from unjustifiable risk creation.
Not sufficiently extreme to rise to implied malice.
caused by
recklessness - subjective awareness of risk but ignores it
criminal negligence - should have been aware of risk
during the commission of or attempted commission of an unlawful act.
Misdemeanor-Manslaughter Rule
unintentional killing during the commission of a misdemeanor
that is malum in se (battery or assault), or a
felony not inherently dangerous
The misdemeanor need not be independent cause of death.
Assault and Battery at Common Law
Considered only misdemeanors and therefore could not be used as underlying felonies for purpose of felony murder
Battery
Intentional, reckless, or criminally negligent
application of force
to the victim.
General Intent Crime
force may be direct or indirect.
need not be applied directly by D if d put force in motion