Murder is perhaps one of the most serious charges a person might face. While many violent crimes are classified as felonies, murder is categorized separately from typical offenses. Even so, the penalties are severe, often more severe than penalties for standard felonies. However, some homicide offenses might not be felonies, and you should seek help from a lawyer.

Murder charges are assessed as murder in the first, second, or third degree and are legally distinct from ordinary felonies. However, murder charges are on the same level as serious felonies and may be met with severe penalties. Other homicide offenses may be charged as felonies, but some may be misdemeanors under the right circumstances. In some cases, defendants facing murder charges might be able to reduce their charges to something like involuntary manslaughter, which may be charged as a misdemeanor.

Get help right away from our Pennsylvania murder defense lawyers with the Liberty Law Team by calling (215) 826-3314.

How Murder is Charged in Pennsylvania

Murder charges are widely regarded as the most severe offense a person may be charged with. While charges this severe are often felonies, murder is categorized differently from other felony offenses, according to 18 Pa.C.S. § 2502.

Murder is generally considered a serious felony in almost all circumstances. However, the law categorizes these charges differently. Instead of being charged with a first-, second-, or third-degree felony, a defendant would be charged with murder in the first, second, or third degree. This distinction sounds small, but murder charges are legally separate from other felony offenses.

The penalties for murder charges are often more severe than penalties for typical felonies. Murder of the third degree may be met with up to 40 years in prison. Second-degree murder may be penalized with a life sentence. Murder of the first-degree is perhaps the most severe charge and may be met with capital punishment or life in prison.

What is Felony Murder in Pennsylvania?

You might have heard of a specific kind of criminal charge called “felony murder.” This can be confusing, as murder charges tend to be assessed at the felony level but are categorically separate from regular felonies. Felony murder falls under the category of murder in the second degree, even if the killing itself might otherwise be something like manslaughter.

In cases of felony murder, the defendant is alleged to have committed an unlawful killing while committing or attempting to commit some other felony. You do not have to directly commit an unlawful killing to be charged with felony murder. If an accomplice to a felony commits the killing, you may also be charged with felony murder. Our murder defense attorneys may refute these charges if you had nothing to do with the alleged felony or perhaps tried to stop it.

One example of felony murder is a burglary (or some other felony) that went wrong. The alleged burglar might not have intended to hurt anyone, but when the homeowner tried to fight back, the burglar pushed them down the stairs, and they broke their neck and died. Even though the burglar might not have intended to do the killing, they did so while committing a felony and may be charged with felony murder.

How Other Forms of Homicide May Be Charged in Pennsylvania

Murder is not the only homicide offense in Pennsylvania. While most offenses that involve an unlawful killing are charged as felonies, certain charges may be assessed as misdemeanors.

Voluntary Manslaughter

Voluntary manslaughter is considered a lesser crime than murder, but it may still be charged as a first-degree felony.

You may be charged if you are alleged to have committed an unlawful killing without a lawful justification, and acted under serious provocation from the victim or someone else whom you allegedly tried to kill but accidentally or negligently caused the victim’s death, under 18 Pa.C.S. § 2503.

Alternatively, you may be charged with voluntary manslaughter if you allegedly kill someone under the honest yet mistaken belief that your actions were justified.

Involuntary Manslaughter

Involuntary manslaughter is another homicide offense that is considered less serious than murder. Generally, it may be charged as a first-degree misdemeanor unless the victim is under 12 years old and in the care or custody of the defendant. In that case, the offense may be charged as a second-degree felony, according to § 2504.

Voluntary manslaughter happens when a defendant is accused of doing some unlawful or lawful act in a grossly negligent way that causes the victim’s death. This is an unintentional crime, which is why it can be charged as a misdemeanor in some cases.

Assisting or Causing Suicide

Although it is a difficult subject to broach, suicide cases sometimes involve homicide charges if someone is found to have caused or assisted the victim’s suicide. Under § 2505, a person may be charged if they are found to have intentionally caused the suicide by force, deception, or duress, and the charges may be felonies.

However, if someone only assists someone in committing suicide, they may be charged with a second-degree felony if the victim dies. If the suicide attempt fails, the defendant may face second-degree misdemeanors.

Death Resulting From Drug Delivery

While selling or distributing controlled substances is often a non-violent crime, it may lead to serious charges if the person who buys the substances dies from an overdose or some other negative reaction to the drugs. In such cases, the person who provided the controlled substances may be charged.

Under § 2506(a), a defendant may be charged with a first-degree felony for intentionally and illegally providing a controlled substance that causes the recipient to die.

How Murder of a Law Enforcement Officer May Be Charged in Pennsylvania

Criminal charges may vary depending on the identity of the victim in some cases. Under 18 Pa.C.S. § § 2507(a)-(d), murder of law enforcement officers is categorized separately from other felonies and may lead to very serious charges. Like murder charges, these charges are technically not the same as normal felonies, but may be met with just as serious, or more serious, consequences.

Talk to Our Pennsylvania Murder Defense Lawyers Today

Get help right away from our Pennsylvania murder defense lawyers with the Liberty Law Team by calling (215) 826-3314.