Capital Punishment in Oregon - Capital Offenses

Capital Offenses

Aggravated murder is the only crime subject to capital punishment in Oregon. The crime is defined as murder "committed under, or accompanied by, any of the following circumstances":

• The defendant committed the murder pursuant to an agreement that the defendant receive money or other thing of value for committing the murder.
• The defendant solicited another to commit the murder and paid or agreed to pay the person money or other thing of value for committing the murder.
• The defendant committed murder after having been convicted previously in any jurisdiction of any homicide, the elements of which constitute the crime of murder as defined in Oregon Revised Statutes (ORS) 163.115 or manslaughter in the first degree as defined in ORS 163.118.
• There was more than one murder victim in the same criminal episode as defined in ORS 131.505.
• The homicide occurred in the course of or as a result of intentional maiming or torture of the victim.
• The victim of the intentional homicide was a person under the age of 14 years.
• The victim was a police officer, correctional, parole and probation officer or other person charged with the duty of custody, control, or supervision of convicted persons, a member of the Oregon State Police, judicial officer, juror, or witness in a criminal proceeding, employee or officer of a court of justice, or a member of the State Board of Parole and Post-Prison Supervision and the murder was related to the performance of the victim's duties in the justice system.
• The defendant committed murder by means of explosives.
• The defendant personally and intentionally committed the homicide.
• The murder was committed in an effort to conceal the commission of a crime, or to conceal the identity of the perpetrator of a crime.
• The murder was committed after the defendant had escaped from a state, county, or municipal penal or correctional facility and before recapture.