Crime of Murder

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Essential elements of the crime of murder

The essential elements to proving the crime of murder:

The intentional killing of another with malice aforethought and without legal excuse or justification.

Many states consider it murder when the killing results while the defendant was in the course of committing a dangerous felony such as a carjacking or a robbery. This is called the felony murder rule.

Most states consider it murder when the killing results from torture, kidnapping, or sexual assault.

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