MA H1760

Amends Chapter 265, Section 1 of Massachusetts General Laws to create separate sentencing for felony murder cases where death occurs during commission of a life-punishable crime without evidence of premeditation, extreme atrocity, or cruelty

Establishes a sentence of 15 to 25 years to life imprisonment for felony murder, rather than automatic first-degree murder penalties

Maintains first-degree murder classification only for killings committed with deliberately premeditated malice aforethought or extreme atrocity or cruelty

Applies retroactively to any person charged or convicted of first-degree murder before, on, or after the effective date of the act

Filed by Representative Russell E. Holmes (6th Suffolk) on January 15, 2025; similar legislation was filed in the 2023-2024 session as House No. 3945