Maryland Democrats Move to Eliminate 1st Degree Murder Charges for Under 25

At first, I thought this was satire - it isn’t. If you value the lives of your family, you may wish to consider moving away from all Democrat controlled states, immediately.

The law as it stands now makes felony murder charges possible for suspects who run over a security guard as they drive away from a robbery scene. Felony murder convictions can result in life in prison.

The Youth Accountability and Safety Act would remove that liability for suspects under 25. The bill’s text also calls for removing felony murder charges in cases where a suspect of one crime is involved in the death of someone in a burning building, carjacking or rape.

https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2023/mar/9/suspects-under-25-couldnt-be-charged-extra-crime-f/

Good.

Felony Murder laws should be repealed everywhere, for all ages.

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Governor Wes Moore’s pick to run the Juvenile Justice Service, Vincent Schiraldi has said no one under the age of 21 should be introduced to the justice system, because the brain is not fully developed.

Mr. Schiraldi must be under the age of 21

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Please elaborate

If I shoplift from a grocery store, and while chasing me, the security guard shoots and kills a bystander by mistake, should I be charged with murder?

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I don’t think so. But can you give me more than a hypo?

Yes. Your actions deliberately endangered that bystander and you knew that was a possibility when committing the crime. Now, if you lived in California, shoplifting is effectively legal so there wouldn’t be any worries about security guards or law enforcement.

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That’s not how the article explains it. It suggests that felony murder is only if you commit a murder while committing another crime (not a third party like the security guard)

That’s definitely what the article is suggesting. But it’s not how the law works.

The “felony murder” rule applies when someone is killed during the commission of a felony (in Maryland, it’s a specific list) - but the thing is, the prosecution doesn’t have to prove that the person charged intended to kill - or even killed someone themselves - just that they committed a felony, and someone died because of it.

This means if you lend your friend a car, and he robs a bank with it and kills someone, you can be charged with murder. Or if you rob a store with some friends, and a cop shoots one of them, you can be charged with their murder.

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Thank you. And I agree

Also, the proposed law doesn’t even repeal the felony murder rule for people under 25 - it just downgrades it to 2nd-degree murder, rather than 1st.

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Here’s the actual bill:

Noted language:

This bill prohibits a person from being convicted of murder in the first degree if they are (1) under the age of 25 at the time of the offense and (2) committed the crime in the perpetration or attempted perpetration of an additional crime listed under § 2-201(4)(i)-(xii) of the Criminal Law Article.

The bill would prohibit an individual under the age of 25 from being convicted of first-degree murder committed in the perpetration of or an attempt to perpetrate various felonies including carjacking, arson, burglary, rape, and various sex offenses. The current penalty for first-degree murder, including felony murder as described in the bill, is imprisonment for life or life without the possibility of parole. A murder that is not in the first degree is considered second degree under statute, and a person who commits a murder in the second degree is also guilty of a felony and subject to imprisonment for a maximum of 40 years. Accordingly, the bill would reduce the overall sentence length for individuals who committed felony murder prior to turning age 25 that would have been otherwise sentenced to life imprisonment under existing law.

Seems like the entire point is reduced sentences for youth murderers, because it clearly states “committed in the perpetration of or an attempt to perpetrate various felonies including carjacking, arson, burglary, rape, and various sex offenses.” This isn’t at all what you’re describing in the above scenarios.

I’m dense but does it say it would legalize murder?

If i choose my co-conspirators and they commit murder during the commission of the crime why shouldnt i be prosecuted for the murder?

Shop lifting is larceny which does not fall under felony murder

Because you didn’t do it.

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I conspired to act. The act causes death.

Ok, we can go with burglary.

Burglary during which death occurs. But for the burglary does anyone die?

If you conspired to murder, that’s one thing.

But if you conspired to do commit some other felony, and your crazy friend shoots a bystander (or a cop shoots your friend), I cam’t accept that as murder.

On the most basic level, I can’t accept the loosening mens rea.

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