Triggerman rule; redefinition thereof. (HB502)

Introduced By

Del. Todd Gilbert (R-Woodstock) with support from 8 copatrons, whose average partisan position is:

Those copatrons are Del. Clay Athey (R-Front Royal), Del. Rob Bell (R-Charlottesville), Del. John A. Cox (R-Ashland), Del. Sal Iaquinto (R-Virginia Beach), Del. Scott Lingamfelter (R-Woodbridge), Del. Matt Lohr (R-Harrisonburg), Del. Brenda Pogge (R-Williamsburg), Sen. Bill Carrico (R-Grayson)

Progress

Introduced
Passed Committee
Passed House
Passed Senate
Signed by Governor
Became Law

Description

Criminal law; redefinition of the triggerman rule.  Redefines the "triggerman rule," which currently provides that only the actual perpetrator of a capital murder is eligible for the death penalty and that accessories and principals in the second degree can be punished only as if guilty of first degree murder. This bill allows principals in the second degree and accessories before the fact to be charged as principals in the first degree in the cases of murder for hire, murder involving a continuing criminal enterprise, and terrorism. This bill allows, in all other cases of capital murder, a principal in the second degree to be tried as a principal in the first degree if he had the same intent to kill as the principal in the first degree. The bill allows an accessory before the fact to be tried as a principal in the first degree if he ordered or directed the willful, deliberate, and premeditated killing. Read the Bill »

Status

03/08/2010: Failed to Pass in Committee

History

DateAction
01/12/2010Committee
01/12/2010Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/13/10 10100529D
01/12/2010Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice
01/13/2010Impact statement from VCSC (HB502)
01/15/2010Assigned Courts sub: Criminal
01/18/2010Subcommittee recommends reporting (9-Y 0-N)
01/27/2010Reported from Courts of Justice (18-Y 4-N) (see vote tally)
01/29/2010Read first time
02/01/2010Passed by for the day
02/02/2010Read second time and engrossed (73-Y 25-N)
02/02/2010VOTE: --- ENGROSSMENT (73-Y 25-N) (see vote tally)
02/03/2010Read third time and passed House (74-Y 24-N)
02/03/2010VOTE: --- PASSAGE (74-Y 24-N) (see vote tally)
02/04/2010Constitutional reading dispensed
02/04/2010Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice
03/08/2010Passed by indefinitely in Courts of Justice (9-Y 6-N) (see vote tally)

Video

This bill was discussed on the floor of the General Assembly. Below is all of the video that we have of that discussion, 2 clips in all, totaling 24 minutes.

Duplicate Bills

The following bills are identical to this one: SB7.