NY Homicide Flashcards
Define murder
Causing the death of another person with malice aforethought
Watch four mental states are sufficient for malice aforethought?
- The intent to kill someone
- The intent to serious bodily harm
- Extreme recklessness (reckless indifference to human life)
- Intent to commit an inherently dangerous felony
Special rules for intent to kill murder: 1 deadly weapon rule?
2. Transferred intent?
- The use of a deadly weapon creates the inference of intent to kill
- The intent to murder transfers to the unintended victim.
New York limits its felony murder felonies to BRAKES crimes
- burglary
- robbery
- arson
- kidnapping
- escape
- sexual assault
Must the felony be independent of the killing? For example, could you be guilty of the felony battery and also of felony murder?
The felony in the murder have to be separate offenses. If the felony is the cause of the murder directly (assault, battery), then there are not separate charges for the felony in the murder. There is only a charge for the murder.
Can you be convicted of felony murder for the death of your co-felon?
No, co-felons are not protected
What is the agency theory of felony murder?
Where you cannot be convicted of felony murder unless you or one of the co-felons commits the murder.
Under New York law, can you be convicted of felony murder even if the underlying felonies dismissed for the defendant is acquitted?
Yes, you can be convicted, even without the underlying felony.
In New York, there is a non-slayer AFFIRMATIVE DEFENSE to felony murder. Requires the defendant to prove these 4 things:
- D didn’t kill V
- D didn’t have deadly weapon
- D had no reason to believe co-felons had deadly weapons
- D didn’t have reason to believe co-felons would do something deadly
1st degree murder reqs 2 things
- premeditation (planned)
2. deliberation (cool, calm, collected)
under NY law, 1st degree murder has
- intent to kill
- D over 18
- 1+ aggravating factor (kill cop, murder for hire, felony murder w/ intentional kill, witness intimidation killing, killed more than 1 person)
under NY law, 2nd degree murder
all murder that’s not 1st degree OR DEPRAVED INDIFFERENCE MURDER or felony murder (unintentional)
is premeditation and deliberation relevant to NY murder?
no
voluntary manslaughter at common law
voluntary murder IN HEAT OF PASSION upon ADEQUATE PROVOCATION
Adequate provocation for voluntary manslaughter - 3 reqs
- objectively adequate to arouse reasonable person (serious assault/battery and presently witnessed adultery)
- subjectively actually provoked D
- didn’t have time to cool off and didn’t actually cool off