What is malice aforethought?

Malice may be either express or implied. Malice is express when there is manifested an intention unlawfully to kill a human being. Malice is implied when:

1. The killing resutled from an intentional act;

2. The natural consequences of the act are dangerous to human life; and

3. The act was deliberately performed with knowledge of the danger to, and with consiouis disregard for human life.

When it is shown that a killing resulted form intentional doing of an act with express or implied malice, no other mental state need be shown to establish the mental state of malice aforethought.

The mental state constituting maliceaforethought does not necessarily require any ill will or hatred of the person killed. The word aforethought does not imply deliberation or the lapse of consideratble time. It only means that the required mental state must precede rather than follow the act.

What is first degree murder?

All murder which is perpetrated by any kind of willful, deliberate and premediated killing with express malice aforethoght is murder of the first degree.

What is first degree felony murder?

Under California Penal Code section 189, the unlawful killing of a human being, whether intentional, unintentional or accidental, which occurs during the commission or attempted commission of the crime is murder of the first degree when the perpetrator had the specific inent to commit that crime.

The person charged was not the shooter, can he or she be charged with first degree murder?

An aider and abettor can be charged wth first degree felony murder. If a human being is killed by any one of several persons engaged in the comission or attempted commission of the crime, all persons, who either directly and actively comit the act constitting that crime, or who with knowledge of the unlawful purpose of the perpretrator of the crime and with the intent or purpose of committing, encuraging, or facilitating the commision of the offense aid, promote, encurage or sinstigate by act or advice its commission are guilty of murder of the first degree whether the killing is intentional, nintentinal, or accidental.

What if the DA cannot prove deliberation and premeditation?

Murder of the second degree is also the unlawful killing of a human being with malice aforethought when the perpetrator intended unlawfully to kill a human being but the evidence is insuficient to prove deliberation and premedidation.

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