What Is Considered Murder in the First Degree in Maryland?
Of course, any act that leads to the death, or contributes to the circumstances of the death, of another is going to be scrutinized thoroughly.
As one might guess, Maryland law appropriately punishes any intentional act leading to a death harshly. The unlawful killing of another is punished in varying degrees of severity, depending on the culpability of the murder. Murder in the first degree is the maximum charge. Criminal defense attorneys in Baltimore Attorney Eric T. Kirk know that there are a variety of statutory categories relating to the commission of the crime. Any:
- deliberate and premeditated killing
- poisoning, or
- killing by ambush is murder in the first degree.
When a death occurs in the course of enumerated crimes, even if the death is not intended, it is first-degree murder as well – the so-called ‘felony murder’ rule. The sentence is either life or life without the possibility of parole. Not surprisingly, one who asks, pays or tells another to kill someone, is likewise guilty of murder the in request or command is fulfilled.
