Homicide: Murder-The killing of a human being by another human being
with malice aforethought. MPC Mental State: Purposefully or Knowingly Malice-A person acts with malice if he possesses any of the four states of mind. i The intent to kills (includes transferred intent) ii The intent to inflict grievous bodily harm (in some jurisdictions) iii An unintended killing that manifests an extreme indifference in to the value of human life (depraved heart murder) iv The felony murder rule (death occurring during the commission of an inherently dangerous felony Intent to Kill i. Deliberate and Premeditated-Specific intent to kill is 1st Degree Murder in jurisdictions that grade the offense by degrees if the homicide was also deliberate and premeditated. ii. Willful, Deliberate, and Premeditated-Nearly all states that grade murder by degrees provide that a willful, deliberate, and premeditated killing is murder in the first degree. iii. Intent to Inflict Grievous Bodily Injury-Malice aforethought is implied if a person intends to cause grievous bodily injury to another, but death results. Usually constitutes 2nd degree murder. iv. Extreme Recklessness (Depraved Heart Murder) v. Under the MPC a homicide is a murder when the defendant acts intentionally or with extreme recklessness (depraved heart). B. First Degree Murder i Premeditation 1 There must be some reflection on the decision to kill. In Watson, it was held that the defendant, even though he only had a few seconds to consider his action, had sufficient time to reflect on killing the police officer. 2 Mental disorder or intoxication may be used to show that a defendant was incapable of premeditating his action. ii Deliberation Unintended Killing as a Murder i Common Law: "Wanton or Reckless Conduct" 1 Involves a degree of risk greater than negligence or gross negligence. 2 "A high degree of likelihood that substantial harm will result to another." Welansky 3 It is the willfulness of the act (or omission) and the dangerousness of the act resulting in death that mark wanton or reckless conduct, not necessarily a conscious disregard of the risk ii MPC/Mass: "Recklessly" 1 But, in Massachusetts, which defines this type of murder as involving a high probability of death does not require proof of a conscious awareness and disregard of that risk, as long as the reasonable person under the circumstances would have been aware of the risk.
ii
Intent to Inflict Serious Bodily Damage
1 In Mayes, the killer threw a bottle at his wife who was holding an oil lamp, causing the oil to go all over her and killing her within five days. An unintended killing can be murder if the conduct that results in the death is so dangerous and heartless that it is the moral equivalent of the intent to kill. Felony-Murder Rule i Substitutes the Mens Rea requirement of the murder for that of the felony. 1 Rule only applies to 'inherently dangerous' felonies. ii All co-felons are equally guilty in the murder. 1 One of the felons must actually commit the murder. The accidental shooting in Hickman does not suffice under the Felony-Murder Rule. 2 Starting a shootout that might lead to a police officer to shoot a third party mistakenly might suffice under the Extreme Indifference rule. Limitations to the Felony Murder Rule i. Once the felony ends, the murder cannot be tied to it. 1 Punishing a felon two years after his felony for a murder with the MR tied to that felony would be a status crime. 2 According to Gladman, when the killing occurs in the immediate flight from the crime it is sufficiently tied to the felony. ii According to the Merger Rule, the felony must be independent of the murder. If the two are one in the same then the Mens Rea may not be shared. iii Causation as a Limitation 1 Proximate Cause. Was the death foreseeable as a result of the commission of the felony? 2 "But for" inquiry. The death must flow from the felony and not just the circumstances. a The court in Cavitt required only a logical nexus. For example, if D robs a bank, drives away slowly, and collides with a car traveling through an intersection at excess speed causing the death of the driver, D would not be liable for felony murder because the killing was not the result of the felony. If he sped out of the parking lot in flight from the scene, the result would be different. The logical nexus requirement assures that the commission of the felony caused the death and not merely a fortuitous act of one of the felons.