562.012. Attempt — guilt for an offense may be based on.
You can be guilty of trying to commit a crime, even if it didn’t happen.
If someone takes real steps to commit a crime, they can be charged—even if the crime wasn’t completed.
1. A person can be guilty of a crime if they do something that shows they seriously meant to commit it, and took a big step toward doing it. A “substantial step” is an action that proves how committed they were to carrying it out.
2. It doesn’t matter if the crime couldn’t actually happen because of the situation—if the person believed it could, they can still be charged.
3. If someone is charged with attempting a crime, the punishment is usually one level lower than if they had completed it—unless the law says otherwise.
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