Sentencing for Arizona Murder Charges: What to Expect

Sentencing for murder in Arizona varies depending on the severity of the crime. The state of Arizona has strict mandatory sentencing laws that apply to murder cases, although they do allow some room to increase or decrease the sentence depending on the circumstances in some cases. For example:

• First degree murder may be punished by death, life imprisonment, or natural life imprisonment. In the case of life imprisonment, you may be eligible for release after 25 years if the person murdered was an adult, or 35 years if the person was under the age of 15.
• Second degree murder may be punished by imprisonment for 16 years, or 6 years more or less, depending on the circumstances. However, if you have previously been convicted of second degree murder or a Class 2 or Class 3 felony involving a deadly weapon or the intentional infliction of physical injury on a person, then you may be sentenced to 20 years, give or take 5 years depending on circumstances.
• Manslaughter and negligent homicide carry more wildly varying sentences, which may be increased if the homicide is considered a “dangerous offense.”

If you have been accused of murder in Arizona, contact an experienced Phoenix criminal defense lawyer at 1-888-929-5292 today for a FREE consultation. We have answers to your many questions and are devoted to defending your rights.