Simple English definitions for legal terms
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The felony murder doctrine is a rule in criminal law that says if someone commits a serious crime and someone dies as a result, they can be charged with murder even if they didn't mean to kill anyone. For example, if someone tries to rob a store and accidentally shoots and kills someone, they can be charged with murder. However, there are some rules that limit when this can be applied. The crime that caused the death has to be really dangerous, and it can't be something that's already part of the murder charge.
The felony murder doctrine is a legal principle that allows a court to convict a defendant of murder if they committed a felony that unintentionally resulted in a killing.
For example, in the case of People v. Hernandez, two men attempted to rob an undercover officer who was a potential purchaser of drugs. In the ensuing gunfight, the officer was killed. The court applied the felony murder doctrine to convict the two men of murder, even though they did not intend to kill the officer.
However, there are limitations to the application of the felony murder doctrine. One limitation is the merger doctrine, which prevents the application of the doctrine if the underlying felony merges into the murder. For instance, in the case of People v. Sarun Chun, the court disallowed the felony murder doctrine because the underlying felony, a drive-by shooting, was assaultive in nature.
Another limitation is that the underlying felony must be inherently dangerous to human life. In the case of People v. Howard, the court denied the application of the felony murder doctrine to a defendant whose reckless driving resulted in a death because the state criminal statute prohibiting the defendant's manner of driving was not inherently dangerous to human life.
In summary, the felony murder doctrine allows a court to convict a defendant of murder if they committed a felony that unintentionally resulted in a killing. However, there are limitations to its application, such as the merger doctrine and the requirement that the underlying felony be inherently dangerous to human life.