Felony Murder

Learn about the definition for this legal term.

What is Felony Murder?

Common law doctrine that imposes first degree murder liability on defendant for a killing committed by someone else during the commission of a felony in which the defendant had participated. This has been modified by statute and case law from state to state.

Further Reading

For more detailed information, see our related Criminal Law terms:

Stephanie Bagnall

Reviewed by

Stephanie Bagnall

Licensed Attorney and Legal Researcher

Stephanie Bagnall is a Georgia-licensed attorney and legal researcher with experience in accessibility law, compliance, employment law, and legal writing. She helps develop and review BarPrepHero's Legal Terms content for clarity, accuracy, and usefulness to bar exam students.

View Stephanie on LinkedIn

Pass the Bar, Guaranteed

BarPrepHero Premium offers the most complete collection of real bar exam questions licensed directly from NCBE (the organization that writes the exam).
Bar Exam starts in:
Days
Hrs
Mins
Secs
Study better now