Assembly Bill A2899

2023-2024 Legislative Session

Relates to convictions under the felony murder rule; repealer

download bill text pdf

Sponsored By

Current Bill Status - In Assembly Committee


  • Introduced
    • In Committee Assembly
    • In Committee Senate
    • On Floor Calendar Assembly
    • On Floor Calendar Senate
    • Passed Assembly
    • Passed Senate
  • Delivered to Governor
  • Signed By Governor

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2023-A2899 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Senate Version of this Bill:
S6865
Current Committee:
Assembly Codes
Law Section:
Penal Law
Laws Affected:
Rpld §125.25 sub 3, amd §§125.25, 40.00 & 70.02, Pen L; add §440.48, CP L

2023-A2899 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Amends elements of the felony murder rule to require that defendant directly causes death or be an accomplice with the intent to cause death; permits vacating conviction or resentencing of defendants convicted of felony murder; amends maximum sentence; permits the defense of duress for victims of domestic violence

2023-A2899 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   2899
 
                        2023-2024 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                             February 1, 2023
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by M. of A. CARROLL -- read once and referred to the Commit-
   tee on Codes
 
 AN ACT to amend the  penal  law  and  the  criminal  procedure  law,  in
   relation  to convictions under felony murder provisions; and to repeal
   certain provisions of the penal law relating thereto

   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.  Legislative  findings  and intent. The Legislature hereby
 finds and declares the following:
   a. The current provisions of New York's penal law pertaining to felony
 murder eliminate the distinction between intentional  and  unintentional
 homicide  and are therefore not consistent with the principle of propor-
 tionality in charging and sentencing. Felony murder  doctrine  allows  a
 defendant  to be charged and sentenced for murder in circumstances where
 they were committing or attempting to commit a felony but did not  actu-
 ally commit a homicidal act. Under current state law, an accomplice to a
 crime,  for  example  someone driving a getaway car, may be charged with
 murder as if they had actually shot someone in the  course  of  a  crime
 such as robbery even in a circumstance where they were unarmed and phys-
 ically  removed  from the site of the murder. Evidence from other states
 indicates that as  many  as  one  in  five  individuals  serving  prison
 sentences  for  murder  have  been  convicted based on the felony murder
 doctrine.  Studies have also found that prosecutors use  the  threat  of
 felony murder charges to obtain plea deals for lengthy sentences, demon-
 strating  felony  murder  doctrine's role in extreme sentencing and mass
 incarceration.
   b. Felony murder doctrine originated in England but was  banned  there
 in 1957 and subsequently in other Commonwealth countries including Cana-
 da, which banned it in 1990. The United States is an outlier globally in
 its application of felony murder doctrine, although some states, notably
 California  and Colorado, have in the last five years introduced signif-

  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD01989-01-3
              

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