2013 Connecticut General Statutes
Title 53a - Penal Code
Chapter 952 - Penal Code: Offenses
Section 53a-54c - Felony murder.


CT Gen Stat § 53a-54c (2013) What's This?

A person is guilty of murder when, acting either alone or with one or more persons, he commits or attempts to commit robbery, burglary, kidnapping, sexual assault in the first degree, aggravated sexual assault in the first degree, sexual assault in the third degree, sexual assault in the third degree with a firearm, escape in the first degree, or escape in the second degree and, in the course of and in furtherance of such crime or of flight therefrom, he, or another participant, if any, causes the death of a person other than one of the participants, except that in any prosecution under this section, in which the defendant was not the only participant in the underlying crime, it shall be an affirmative defense that the defendant: (1) Did not commit the homicidal act or in any way solicit, request, command, importune, cause or aid the commission thereof; and (2) was not armed with a deadly weapon, or any dangerous instrument; and (3) had no reasonable ground to believe that any other participant was armed with such a weapon or instrument; and (4) had no reasonable ground to believe that any other participant intended to engage in conduct likely to result in death or serious physical injury.

(P.A. 74-186, S. 11, 12; P.A. 76-336, S. 21; P.A. 79-570, S. 2; P.A. 92-260, S. 28.)

History: P.A. 76-336 replaced rape in first degree, deviate sexual intercourse in first degree and sexual contact in first degree with sexual assault in first degree, sexual assault in first degree with firearm, sexual assault in third degree and sexual assault in third degree with firearm; P.A. 79-570 removed murder resulting from commission of or attempt to commit arson from purview of section; P.A. 92-260 replaced obsolete reference to offense of “sexual assault in the first degree with a firearm” with revised name of “aggravated sexual assault in the first degree”; (Revisor’s note: In 1995 the indicators (A), (B), (C) and (D) were changed editorially by the Revisors to (1), (2), (3) and (4) respectively for consistency with statutory usage).

See Sec. 53a-54a re murder.

See Sec. 53a-54b re capital felony.

Cited. 11 CA 80; 12 CA 385; 24 CA 723; 27 CA 794; 29 CA 573; Id., 771; 30 CA 381; 31 CA 771; judgment reversed, see 230 C. 88; 32 CA 38; Id., 431; 33 CA 90; 35 CA 762; 36 CA 364; Id., 506; Id., 556; 38 CA 581; 41 CA 515. Self-defense not available as a defense to charge of felony murder. 42 CA 348. Cited. Id., 472; 43 CA 61; 45 CA 32; Id., 187; Id., 390; Id., 658. Reaffirmed prior holding that self-defense not a valid defense to charge of felony murder. 51 CA 798. Court rejects defendant’s argument that killing of victim who resisted a robbery attempt by walking away is not committed “in the course of and in furtherance of” the attempted robbery because the attempted robbery had ceased. 64 CA 596. Felony murder conviction carries mandatory minimum sentence of 25 years imprisonment. 127 CA 718. Homicide and assault were committed “in furtherance of” conspiracy to commit robbery, because it was within defendant’s contemplation that one or more of the people she intended to rob at gunpoint would be shot and injured or killed. Id., 819.

Cited. 36 CS 141; 41 CS 385; 42 CS 426.

Disclaimer: These codes may not be the most recent version. Connecticut may have more current or accurate information. We make no warranties or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the information contained on this site or the information linked to on the state site. Please check official sources.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.