{"id":376983,"date":"2016-03-31T21:37:12","date_gmt":"2016-04-01T02:37:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/content.findlaw-admin.com\/ability-law\/state\/virginia-law\/virginia-murder-laws.html"},"modified":"2025-07-21T09:22:10","modified_gmt":"2025-07-21T14:22:10","slug":"virginia-murder-laws","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/state\/virginia-law\/virginia-murder-laws.html","title":{"rendered":"Virginia Murder Laws"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Virginia Murder Laws<\/h1>\n
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\n By Christie Nicholson, J.D.<\/a> | Legally reviewed by Catherine Hodder, Esq.<\/a>\n | Last updated\n
\n \n <\/i>\n Legally Reviewed\n <\/summary>\n\n
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This article has been written and reviewed for legal accuracy, clarity, and style by FindLaw\u2019s team of legal writers and attorneys<\/a> and in accordance with our editorial standards<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/details>\n\n

\n \n <\/i>\n Fact-Checked\n <\/summary>\n\n
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The last updated date refers to the last time this article was reviewed by FindLaw or one of our contributing authors<\/a>. We make every effort to keep our articles updated. For information regarding a specific legal issue affecting you, please contact an attorney in your area<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/details>\n<\/section>\n

Anytime someone takes another human life, it qualifies as a homicide. The most serious type of homicide<\/a> is murder. What distinguishes murder from other homicides, such as manslaughter and vehicular homicide, is that it involves premeditation and intent.<\/blockquote>\r\n

Virginia law recognizes three classes of murder<\/a>: aggravated murder, first-degree murder, and second-degree murder. Until 2021, Virginia had capital murder on the books. The governor passed House Bill 2263 on March 24 of that year, which abolished the death penalty in the state of Virginia.<\/p>\r\n

Virginia criminal code now refers to crimes that used to qualify for the death penalty<\/a> as aggravated murder. The most severe punishment for this crime is life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.<\/p>\r\n

This article examines and explains Virginia\u2019s murder laws, including the penalties and possible defenses<\/a>. If you\u2019re facing murder charges, it’s a good idea to contact an experienced Virginia criminal defense lawyer<\/a>. We’ve also provided links to related FindLaw articles for further research at the bottom of this page.<\/p>\r\n

Aggravated Murder<\/b><\/h2>\r\n

As mentioned above, Virginia refers to crimes that once qualified as capital murder as aggravated murder. The Code of Virginia<\/a> describes the specific elements of aggravated murder.<\/p>\r\n

Examples of aggravated murder in the Commonwealth of Virginia include, but are not limited to:<\/p>\r\n