Murder in Montana law constitutes the intentional killing, under circumstances defined by law, of people within or under the jurisdiction of the U.S. state of
Montana
Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbi ...
.
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 2020, the state had a murder rate slightly below the median for the entire country.
Penalties
Under Montana law, prosecutors can charge minors as young as 12 years old as adults for certain crimes, including deliberate homicide (whether mitigated or not), or attempted deliberate or mitigated homicide.
Under Montana law, deliberate homicide is punishable by death when committed:
[Montana Code ยง 46-18-303. Aggravating circumstances.]
#By an offender while in official detention;
#By an offender who had been previously convicted of another deliberate homicide;
#By means of
torture
Torture is the deliberate infliction of severe pain or suffering on a person for reasons such as punishment, extracting a confession, interrogation for information, or intimidating third parties. Some definitions are restricted to acts c ...
;
#By lying in wait or ambush;
#As a part of a scheme or operation that, if completed, would result in the death of more than one person;
#During the course of committing
sexual assault
Sexual assault is an act in which one intentionally sexually touches another person without that person's consent, or coerces or physically forces a person to engage in a sexual act against their will. It is a form of sexual violence, which ...
, sexual intercourse without consent, deviate sexual conduct, or incest, and
the victim was less than 18 years of age.
#Against a peace officer killed while performing the officer's duty.
See also
*
Capital punishment in Montana
Capital punishment is a legal penalty in the U.S. state of Montana.
Of the states that currently retain the death penalty, Montana is the only one that has not handed down a death sentence in the 21st century. The last time the state sentenced a ...
Notes
References
Murder in the United States
Crime in Montana
Montana law
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