Murder in Tennessee law

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

Contents

The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that in the year 2021, the state had a murder rate somewhat above the median for the entire country. [1]

Definitions

First-degree murder

First-degree murder is the most serious homicide offense in Tennessee. It is defined as either an intentional killing of another person with premeditation, or the killing of a person during the perpetration or attempted perpetration of one of the following felonies under Tennessee's felony murder rule: [2]

The penalties for first-degree murder are the death penalty, life imprisonment without the possibility of parole, or life-with-parole after 51 years. [3] The only exception for the death penalty is juvenile offenders, as the death penalty for minors was abolished nationwide in 2005. Tennessee Governor Bill Lee currently has set a moratorium on executions, citing concerns about botched executions. [4]

Second-degree murder

Second-degree murder is the second most serious homicide offense in Tennessee. It is defined as one of the following: [5]

The penalty for second-degree murder is 15 to 60 years in prison.

Penalties

The penalties for homicide offenses in Tennessee are listed below. [2]

OffenseMandatory sentence
Criminally negligent homicide 1 to 6 years in prison
Aiding suicide2 to 12 years in prison
Reckless homicide
Third-degree vehicular homicide
Second-degree vehicular homicide3 to 15 years in prison
First-degree vehicular homicide 8 to 30 years in prison
Voluntary manslaughter
Second-degree murder15 to 60 years in prison
First-degree murder

Notes

  1. ↑ Tennessee Governor Bill Lee has set a moratorium on Tennessee's death penalty.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Murder</span> Unlawful killing of a human with malice aforethought

Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification or valid excuse, especially the unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought. This state of mind may, depending upon the jurisdiction, distinguish murder from other forms of unlawful homicide, such as manslaughter. Manslaughter is killing committed in the absence of malice, brought about by reasonable provocation, or diminished capacity. Involuntary manslaughter, where it is recognized, is a killing that lacks all but the most attenuated guilty intent, recklessness.

Capital punishment is a legal penalty in the U.S. state of Utah.

Vehicular homicide is a crime that involves the death of a person other than the driver as a result of either criminally negligent or murderous operation of a motor vehicle.

Under the German penal code, Strafgesetzbuch, there are two sections relating to homicide:

In the United States, the law for murder varies by jurisdiction. In many US jurisdictions there is a hierarchy of acts, known collectively as homicide, of which first-degree murder and felony murder are the most serious, followed by second-degree murder and, in a few states, third-degree murder, which in other states is divided into voluntary manslaughter, and involuntary manslaughter such as reckless homicide and negligent homicide, which are the least serious, and ending finally in justifiable homicide, which is not a crime. However, because there are at least 52 relevant jurisdictions, each with its own criminal code, this is a considerable simplification.

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

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

Capital punishment is a legal punishment in Tennessee.

Capital punishment in Missouri first used in 1810 is a legal penalty in the U.S. state of Missouri.

Capital punishment is a legal punishment in Pennsylvania. Despite remaining a legal penalty, there have been no executions in Pennsylvania since 1999, and only three since 1976. In February 2015, Governor Tom Wolf announced a formal moratorium on executions that is still in effect as of 2023, with incumbent Governor Josh Shapiro continuing Wolf's moratorium. However, capital crimes are still prosecuted and death warrants are still issued.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Murder in New York constitutes the unlawful killing, under circumstances defined by law, of people within or under the jurisdiction of the U.S. state of New York. Because the criminal law of the state also governs the City of New York, there is not a separate law applicable to murders committed in the city.

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

References

  1. ↑ "Stats of the States - Homicide Mortality". www.cdc.gov. March 2, 2022. Retrieved September 12, 2023.
  2. 1 2 "Section 39-13-202 - First degree murder, Tenn. Code § 39-13-202". Casetext. Retrieved September 12, 2023.
  3. ↑ "Tennessee First-Degree Murder". FindLaw.
  4. ↑ "Tennessee Governor Halts Executions Scheduled for 2022 to Conduct Review of Execution Protocol 'Oversight'". Death Penalty Information Center. May 3, 2022. Retrieved September 12, 2023.
  5. ↑ "Section 39-13-210 - Second degree murder, Tenn. Code § 39-13-210". Casetext. Retrieved September 12, 2023.
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