Murder 720 ILCS 5/9-1

Understanding First Degree Murder in Illinois

First degree murder is the most serious homicide offense in Illinois. It‘s defined in 720 ILCS 5/9-1 of the Illinois Compiled Statutes (ILCS). This article will break down the key elements of first degree murder, penalties, defenses, and more so you can understand this complex law.

The Basics

In a nutshell, first degree murder is an intentional, unlawful killing. There are a few ways it can happen:

• Intending to kill or seriously injure the victim [720 ILCS 5/9-1(a)(1)]
• Knowing your actions will cause death [720 ILCS 5/9-1(a)(2)]
• Killing someone during a dangerous felony [720 ILCS 5/9-1(a)(3)]

If convicted, it’s a Class M felony with a sentence of 20-60 years in prison. But there are circumstances where you could face natural life or even the death penalty [720 ILCS 5/9-1(b)].Let’s break this down section-by-section so it’s crystal clear.

Intentional Murder [720 ILCS 5/9-1(a)(1)]

This is probably what you typically think of with murder – intentionally killing another person. The key is you have to intend to kill or do great bodily harm to the victim.For example, if you get into an argument and decide to stab someone, you intended to seriously injure them. Even if you didn’t necessarily intend for them to die, it’s still first degree murder if they do.

Knowing Murder [720 ILCS 5/9-1(a)(2)]

You can also commit first degree murder if you didn’t necessarily intend to kill, but you knew your actions would result in death.Like, if you poison someone‘s drink knowing the poison is lethal – you may not have specifically wanted them to die, but you knew it would happen. That‘s first degree murder too.

Felony Murder [720 ILCS 5/9-1(a)(3)]

This is probably the most complicated type of first degree murder. Basically, if you kill someone during a dangerous felony, it’s automatically first degree murder even if you didn’t intend the death.The most common example is killing someone during a robbery. Let’s say you‘re robbing a bank and the teller has a heart attack – even though you didn’t mean for anyone to die, it’s still first degree murder.The felony has to be inherently dangerous, like:

• Robbery
• Arson
• Burglary
• Kidnapping
• Aggravated battery

And it only applies if you or an accomplice actually killed the victim in furtherance of the felony.

Penalties [720 ILCS 5/9-1(b)-(e)]

The penalties for first degree murder depend on the circumstances of the crime:

• 20-60 years is the standard prison sentence for first degree murder with no aggravating factors [720 ILCS 5/9-1(b)].
• Natural life if the victim was under 12, over 60, physically disabled, or you have a past first degree murder conviction [720 ILCS 5/9-1(b)(3)-(6)].
• Death penalty in certain aggravated cases like killing a police officer, murder for hire, or torturing the victim [720 ILCS 5/9-1(b)(1)-(17)]. This requires a separate sentencing hearing [720 ILCS 5/9-1(d)].
• 25-life if the death penalty is found unconstitutional [720 ILCS 5/9-1(j)].

As you can see, first degree murder is punished very harshly in Illinois. The minimum prison sentence is 20 years, with a maximum of natural life or even death in certain cases.

Defenses

There are a few defenses that could get you acquitted of first degree murder or convicted of a lesser offense:

• Insanity – If you can prove you were unable to understand right from wrong at the time [720 ILCS 5/6-2]
• Self-defense – Killing to protect yourself or others from imminent harm. But it has to be a reasonable response [720 ILCS 5/7-1]
• Second degree murder – The killing happened under intense passion or unreasonable self-defense [720 ILCS 5/9-2]. This reduces first degree murder to a Class 1 felony with 4-20 years in prison.
• Involuntary manslaughter – The killing was unintentional and happened due to recklessness. Like accidentally killing someone while texting and driving [720 ILCS 5/9-3]. This is a Class 3 felony with 2-5 years in prison.

Recent Changes

Illinois first degree murder law was amended by P.A. 100-3 which took effect in 2018. Here are some key changes:

• Got rid of the death penalty except for terrorism offenses
• Created a new offense of “drug-induced homicide” when selling drugs that cause an overdose death [720 ILCS 5/9-3.3]
• Increased penalties for killing young children, the elderly, or disabled individuals

So while the death penalty was abolished for most murders, penalties were actually increased for certain vulnerable victims.

Real World Examples

To understand first degree murder, it helps to see real cases. Here are a few examples from Illinois:

• People v. Yarber – Man was convicted of first degree murder for beating his wife to death with a pipe wrench during an argument. He claimed involuntary manslaughter, but the court found intent to kill or injure.
• People v. Stokes – Two men kidnapped a victim during an attempted robbery and one of them shot the victim in the head, killing him. Both were convicted of first degree felony murder.
• People v. Ballard – Woman hired a hitman to kill her ex-husband and his new wife. She was convicted of first degree murder and sentenced to death under the murder for hire aggravating factor.
• People v. Rosado – Gang member was convicted of first degree murder for shooting and killing a rival gang member. The court rejected his claim of self-defense.

As you can see, Illinois courts take first degree murder very seriously and tend to uphold convictions as long as the elements are proven. Self-defense claims are scrutinized closely as well.

When Is It Second Degree?

Remember, first degree murder can be reduced to second degree if certain mitigating factors caused the killing [720 ILCS 5/9-2].The main two scenarios are:

• Unreasonable self-defense – You thought you were acting in self-defense but your belief was unreasonable under the circumstances. Like using lethal force when the victim was unarmed.
• Intense passion – You were provoked into a sudden, intense passion. For example, catching your spouse cheating.

Second degree murder is still a felony with up to 20 years in prison, but it’s better than a first degree life sentence. The key is proving one of these mitigating circumstances clearly caused the killing.

When Is It Involuntary Manslaughter?

Involuntary manslaughter is the least serious type of homicide in Illinois [720 ILCS 5/9-3]. It‘s an unintentional killing as a result of recklessness.Some examples:

• Accidentally killing someone in a DUI crash
• Playing with a loaded gun and unintentionally shooting someone
• Getting in a fist fight and unintentionally killing the other person

Proving the death was unintentional and happened due to reckless (not intentional) behavior is key. Involuntary manslaughter is still a felony, but only punishable by 2-5 years in prison.

Changes to Accomplice Liability

Illinois amended its accomplice liability law in 2021 under P.A. 101-0652.Now, to convict someone of first degree murder under an accountability theory [720 ILCS 5/5-2], the prosecution has to prove:

• They intentionally aided/abetted the crime
• And they shared the intent to kill or do great bodily harm.

So if your accomplice unexpectedly kills someone during a felony, you can’t necessarily be charged with first degree murder anymore unless you also intended death or serious injury.This change will likely make it harder to convict accomplices of first degree murder unless they were clearly “in on it” together.

Juveniles Charged as Adults

In Illinois, juveniles as young as 13 can be charged as adults for first degree murder under the Juvenile Court Act.If convicted as an adult, they face the same penalties – 20 years to life in prison.However, recent Supreme Court cases like Miller v. Alabama prohibit mandatory life sentences for juveniles. So juvenile offenders may have more flexibility at sentencing if tried as adults today.

Federal Murder Charges?

Remember, first degree murder is a state charge under Illinois law. But sometimes a murder can also be charged federally.For example, if you kill someone while robbing a bank, you could face federal bank robbery and murder charges too.Other examples of federal murder charges include killings involving kidnapping, terrorism, or interstate domestic violence. Federal murder [18 U.S. Code § 1111] can carry any sentence up to death or life in prison.

Changes to Illinois Death Penalty

As mentioned above, the death penalty was abolished in Illinois for most murders. After the wrongful conviction of Rolando Cruz, the state saw flaws in how capital punishment was applied.Currently, the only crimes still eligible for death in IL are:

• Terrorism resulting in death
• Treason
• Killing a police officer or firefighter
• Killing a correctional officer
• Killing an emergency medical technician

For most civilian first degree murders, the maximum punishment is now natural life in prison. However, the death penalty debate continues in Illinois today.

Consult an Attorney!

I hope this long article helps explain the complexities of Illinois first degree murder law! But there‘s only so much I can cover in a general overview.Every case is different. If you’re facing criminal homicide charges, please consult an experienced Illinois criminal defense attorney. An attorney can evaluate the evidence against you and build the strongest defense.First degree murder carries massive penalties, up to losing your life in prison. So protect your rights. Schedule a free case evaluation with a lawyer today.