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H.B. 270 Enrolled

                 

FELONY MURDER AMENDMENTS

                 
2000 GENERAL SESSION

                 
STATE OF UTAH

                 
Sponsor: John E. Swallow

                  AN ACT RELATING TO THE CRIMINAL CODE; AMENDING THE FELONY MURDER
                  STATUTE TO INCLUDE CLANDESTINE LAB OFFENSES AND ESCAPE AS PREDICATE
                  CRIMES IN ESTABLISHING FELONY MURDER RESPONSIBILITY.
                  This act affects sections of Utah Code Annotated 1953 as follows:
                  AMENDS:
                      76-5-203, as last amended by Chapters 2 and 90, Laws of Utah 1999
                  Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
                      Section 1. Section 76-5-203 is amended to read:
                       76-5-203. Murder.
                      (1) As used in this section, "predicate offense" means:
                      (a) violation of Section 58-37d-4 or 58-37d-5 , Clandestine Drug Lab Act;
                      (b) child abuse, under Subsection 76-5-109 (2)(a), when the victim is younger than 18 years
                  of age;
                      (c) kidnapping under Section 76-5-301 ;
                      (d) child kidnapping under Section 76-5-301.1 ;
                      (e) aggravated kidnapping under Section 76-5-302 ;
                      (f) rape of a child under Section 76-5-402.1 ;
                      (g) object rape of a child under Section 76-5-402.3 ;
                      (h) sodomy upon a child under Section 76-5-403.1 ;
                      (i) forcible sexual abuse under Section 76-5-404 ;
                      (j) sexual abuse of a child or aggravated sexual abuse of a child under Section 76-5-404.1 ;
                      (k) rape under Section 76-5-402 ;
                      (l) object rape under Section 76-5-402.2 ;
                      (m) forcible sodomy under Section 76-5-403 ;
                      (n) aggravated sexual assault under Section 76-5-405 ;

                      (o) arson under Section 76-6-102 ;
                      (p) aggravated arson under Section 76-6-103 ;
                      (q) burglary under Section 76-6-202 ;
                      (r) aggravated burglary under Section 76-6-203 ;
                      (s) robbery under Section 76-6-301 ;
                      (t) aggravated robbery under Section 76-6-302 ; or
                      (u) escape or aggravated escape under Section 76-8-309 .
                      [(1)] (2) Criminal homicide constitutes murder if [the actor]:
                      (a) the actor intentionally or knowingly causes the death of another;
                      (b) intending to cause serious bodily injury to another, the actor commits an act clearly
                  dangerous to human life that causes the death of another;
                      (c) acting under circumstances evidencing a depraved indifference to human life, the actor
                  engages in conduct which creates a grave risk of death to another and thereby causes the death of
                  another;
                      (d) [while] (i) the actor is engaged in the commission, attempted commission, or immediate
                  flight from the commission or attempted commission of [aggravated robbery, robbery, rape, object
                  rape, forcible sodomy, or aggravated sexual assault, aggravated arson, arson, aggravated burglary,
                  burglary, aggravated kidnapping, kidnapping, child kidnapping, rape of a child, object rape of a child,
                  sodomy upon a child, forcible sexual abuse, sexual abuse of a child, aggravated sexual abuse of a
                  child, or child abuse, as defined in Subsection 76-5-109 (2)(a), when the victim is younger than 14
                  years of age, causes the death of another person other than a party as defined in Section 76-2-202 ;]
                  any predicate offense, or is a party to the predicate offense; and
                      (ii) a person other than a party as defined in Section 76-2-202 is killed in the course of the
                  commission, attempted commission, or immediate flight from the commission or attempted
                  commission of any predicate offense;
                      (e) the actor recklessly causes the death of a peace officer while in the commission or
                  attempted commission of:
                      (i) an assault against a peace officer [as defined in] under Section 76-5-102.4 ; or

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                      (ii) interference with a peace officer while making a lawful arrest [as defined in] under                   Section
                  76-8-305 if the actor uses force against a peace officer;
                      (f) commits a homicide which would be aggravated murder, but the offense is reduced
                  pursuant to Subsection 76-5-202 (3); or
                      (g) the actor commits aggravated murder, but special mitigation is established under Section
                  76-5-205.5 .
                      [(2)] (3) Murder is a first degree felony.
                      [(3)] (4) (a) It is an affirmative defense to a charge of murder or attempted murder that the
                  defendant caused the death of another or attempted to cause the death of another:
                      (i) under the influence of extreme emotional distress for which there is a reasonable
                  explanation or excuse; or
                      (ii) under a reasonable belief that the circumstances provided a legal justification or excuse
                  for his conduct although the conduct was not legally justifiable or excusable under the existing
                  circumstances.
                      (b) Under Subsection [(3)] (4)(a)(i) emotional distress does not include:
                      (i) a condition resulting from mental illness as defined in Section 76-2-305 ; or
                      (ii) distress that is substantially caused by the defendant's own conduct.
                      (c) The reasonableness of an explanation or excuse under Subsection [(3)] (4)(a)(i) or the
                  reasonable belief of the actor under Subsection [(3)] (4)(a)(ii) shall be determined from the viewpoint
                  of a reasonable person under the then existing circumstances.
                      (d) This affirmative defense reduces charges only as follows:
                      (i) murder to manslaughter; and
                      (ii) attempted murder to attempted manslaughter.

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