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

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

. The United States

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the national public health agency of the United States. It is a United States federal agency, under the Department of Health and Human Services, and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgi ...

reported that in the year 2021, the state had a murder rate somewhat below the median for the entire country.

Definitions

Murder

Connecticut has four homicide offenses in total, including the two types of murder. Standard murder is defined as when a person, with intent to cause the death of another person, causes the death of such person or of a third person, or

causes Causes, or causality, is the relationship between one event and another. It may also refer to: * Causes (band), an indie band based in the Netherlands * Causes (company) Causes.com is a civic-technology app and website that enables users to orga ...

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and s ...

by force, duress, or deception. It is punishable by a minimum of 25 years in prison and a maximum of 60 years in prison.

Felony murder rule

Connecticut's

felony murder rule The rule of felony murder is a legal doctrine in some common law jurisdictions that broadens the crime of murder: when someone is killed (regardless of intent to kill) in the commission of a dangerous or enumerated crime (called a felony in so ...

is defined as when a victim dies as the result of a perpetration of a violent felony, regardless of intent to kill. Felony murder is punished as the crime of standard murder.

Murder with special circumstances

The most serious form of homicide in Connecticut is murder with special circumstances. Murder with special circumstances constitutes the crime of murder with one of the following circumstances present: * The victim was a member of the state police, local police, a chief inspector or inspector in the Division of Criminal Justice, a state marshal, a judicial marshal, a constable, a special policeman, a conservation officer, an employee of the Department of Corrections, or any firefighter. * The murder was the result of a

contract killing Contract killing is a form of murder or assassination in which one party hires another party to kill a targeted person or persons. It involves an illegal agreement which includes some form of payment, monetary or otherwise. Either party may be ...

. * The murder was committed by someone previously convicted of murder. * The murder was committed by someone who at the time of the murder was serving a life sentence. * The murder was committed by a kidnapper either during the course of the

kidnapping In criminal law, kidnapping is the unlawful confinement of a person against their will, often including transportation/asportation. The asportation and abduction element is typically but not necessarily conducted by means of force or fear: the p ...

or prior to the return of the victim. * The murder was committed during the course of a

rape Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual penetration carried out against a person without their consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or ag ...

. * The murder of two or more persons at the single time or in the course of a single criminal transaction. * The victim was under the age of 16. Murder with special circumstances is punished only by

life imprisonment 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 ...

without the possibility of

parole Parole (also known as provisional release or supervised release) is a form of early release of a prison inmate where the prisoner agrees to abide by certain behavioral conditions, including checking-in with their designated parole officers, or ...

. The

death penalty Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to conclude that t ...

is not an option since Connecticut abolished the death penalty in 2012.

Penalties

The sentences for homicide offenses in Connecticut are listed below.

References