The Supreme Court previously considered the
felony murder doctrine
2010); see also Kealy, supra note 10, at 237 (discussing
felony murder theory in Massachusetts).
To that end, this Part considers the much-debated laws involving
felony murder and the divergence between attempts and completed crimes.
Trace Hanse ("Appellant") was convicted by a jury in the Circuit Court for Baltimore City of six charges, including first-degree
felony murder and first-degree burglary, stemming from a home invasion during which Sierra Burley and her roommate, Marvin Jeffers, were shot in the head and body.
(84) The Court did not explicitly create a categorical rule with respect to death sentences for
felony murder convictions.
In order to convict the defendant of First Degree
Felony Murder, it is not necessary for the State to prove that the defendant had a premeditated design or intent to kill.
The
felony murder charge includes a sentence enhancement for using a knife.
As an accomplice, he was sentenced under Texas'
felony murder statute, commonly known as the law of parties, which holds that anyone involved in a crime resulting in death is equally responsible, even if they weren't directly involved in the killing.
Authorities did arrest Mitchell, whom they charged with aggravated assault with a firearm, false imprisonment, cruelty to children, and
felony murder for the death of Funches.
After a nine-day deliberation, a jury has found Pedro Hernandez guilty of
felony murder and kidnapping in the death of 6-year-old Etan Patz, who disappeared in 1979 while walking to a bus stop near his home in SoHo, Manhattan.
This disconnect results from an overly mechanical interpretation of the Supreme Court's two key cases applying the Eighth Amendment to the
felony murder context: Enmund v.
'I'm just in shock.' Frances insisted it was an accident, but she was charged with
felony murder and aggravated assault for her actions against Bonnie.