Murder in Arkansas law

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

Contents

The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that in the year 2020, the state had one of the highest murder rates in the country. [1]

Felony murder rule

In the state of Arkansas, the felony murder rule is defined as a death that is caused "in the course of", "in the furtherance of" or "in the immediate flight" of a felony. These deaths all must exhibit "extreme indifference to the value of human life" to qualify. The following predicate felonies are crimes when causing death automatically qualify the perpetrator for capital punishment in Arkansas:

This is found in Arkansas Code, under capital punishment. [2]

The remaining felonies that result in death of another are classified as first degree murder. [3] This is known as a "Class Y Felony" which carries a minimum prison term of ten years to a maximum of life. [4] If the defendant was under 18 at the time of offense, a judge sets out a life sentence and they are eligible for parole after 30 years. For the remaining felonies, juveniles are eligible for parole after 25 years.

Penalties

OffenseMandatory sentencing
Second-degree murder6 to 30 years in prison
First-degree murder 10 to 40 years in prison or life imprisonment
Capital murder Death penalty or life imprisonment without the possibility of parole

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Life imprisonment is any sentence of imprisonment for a crime under which convicted people are to remain in prison for the rest of their natural lives or indefinitely until pardoned, paroled, or otherwise commuted to a fixed term. Crimes for which, in some countries, a person could receive this sentence include murder, torture, terrorism, child abuse resulting in death, rape, espionage, treason, drug trafficking, drug possession, human trafficking, severe fraud and financial crimes, aggravated criminal damage, arson, kidnapping, burglary, and robbery, piracy, aircraft hijacking, and genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, severe cases of child pornography, or any three felonies in case of three-strikes law. Life imprisonment can also be imposed, in certain countries, for traffic offences causing death. Life imprisonment is not used in all countries; Portugal was the first country to abolish life imprisonment, in 1884.

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

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.

Capital punishment is a legal penalty in the U.S. state of Georgia. Georgia reintroduced the death penalty in 1973 after Furman v. Georgia ruled all states' death penalty statutes unconstitutional. The first execution to take place afterwards occurred in 1983.

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

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

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

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.

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

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Murder in California law</span>

The law on the crime of murder in the U.S. state of California is defined by sections 187 through 191 of the California Penal Code.

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. Arkansas Code Ann. Sec. 5-10-101(a)(1) and (2)
  3. Arkansas Code Ann. Sec. 5-10-102(a)(1)
  4. Arkansas Code Ann. Sec. 5-4-401(a)(1)