720 ILCS 5/9-1 – First Degree Murder

720 ILCS 5/9-1 – First Degree Murder

This law defines when someone can be charged with first degree murder in Illinois.

This statute says that a person commits first degree murder if they purposely kill someone, know their actions could kill or seriously hurt someone, or cause a death while committing another serious crime.

(a) A person commits first degree murder when they kill someone without a legal reason and one of the following applies:

1. They mean to kill or seriously hurt someone, or they know their actions will cause death or serious injury to someone.
2. They know that what they’re doing is very likely to cause death or serious injury to that someone.
3. They, either alone or with others, commit or try to commit a forceful felony (like robbery or burglary) other than second degree murder, and while doing it or running away from it, someone gets killed by them or another person involved with the original crime.

View the full statute here.

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