In this article, we are going to discuss the penalties for murder and manslaughter convictions in Alexandria, Virginia. Murder is killing or taking the life of a person. There are many classifications of murder in Alexandria such as capital murder, first and second-degree murder, voluntary manslaughter and involuntary manslaughter. A person kills another person due to hatred or malice which is doing an undesired and wrong act intentionally. This can be due to ill will without any excuse and cause. The punishment or murder in Alexandria is different as it depends on the status of the victim and the intentions of the murderer. Let’s discuss Alexandria Virginia murder laws in detail.
Murder is Felony
Murder is a felony and a serious crime in Alexandria. The penalty for this is death and sometimes imprisonment for the whole life. It can be 40 years in jail along with some fine. The murder of a person can be reduced to manslaughter which is a less serious crime and the punishment for this is 10 years in jail.
Manslaughter in Alexandra, Virginia
The voluntary and involuntary manslaughter are class 5 felony in Alexandria. The punishment for both of them is 10 years in jail. Manslaughter is defined as the killing of one person by another person unlawfully and it is done without hatred or malice. Voluntary manslaughter is also the intentional killing of a person and it is due to sudden passion aroused in a person because of an accountable provocation. It is true that murder can be reduced to less serious crime such as manslaughter if it is not planned and is due to the heat of a moment.
On the other hand, involuntary manslaughter is the killing of a person accidentally. The negligence of the murderer is the criminal act and it just disregards the human life. The deaths in traffic accidents are in the category of involuntary manslaughter. It is the judge who decides that the negligence of the murdered was a just simple negligence or the criminal negligence. The death caused due to the operation of the motor vehicle is also accidental killing but it is sometimes unintended.
Manslaughter and Murder Laws and Penalties
Let’s discuss Alexandria Virginia murder laws in detail.
- Any person who commits first and second-degree murder, capital murder, voluntary, and involuntary manslaughter should be guilty of the felony.
- The will full or deliberate killing of the witness of any crime is also a capital murder.
- The murder that is other than capital murder and is due to poison, lying in wait, starvation, will full and deliberate killing is a first-degree crime and the punishment will be according to Class 2 felony. The punishment will be less than five years and more than 40 years in jail.
- Killing a person accidentally is a second-degree murder and the punishment will be 5 to 40 years in jail.
- The punishment of involuntary manslaughter will be according to class 5 felony.