Capital Offenses
The following are considered circumstances for aggravated first degree murder:
- Murder of an on-duty law enforcement officer, corrections officer, or firefighter
- Murder by a prisoner
- Contract killing
- Murder resulting from the discharge of a firearm from or near a motor vehicle
- Murder while committing robbery, rape, burglary, kidnapping, arson
- Murder of more than one person
- Murder of a news reporter to obstruct or hinder
- Murder of a person who held a restraining order against the assailant
- Murder of a person with whom the murderer had a "family or household members"
- Murder to obtain or maintain membership or to advance position in the hierarchy of an organization, association, gang or identifiable group
Other offenses that may result in a death penalty include:
- Treason
As in any other state, people who are under 18 at the time of commission of the capital crime or mentally retarded are constitutionally precluded from being executed.
Read more about this topic: Capital Punishment In Washington State
Famous quotes containing the word capital:
“Labor is prior to, and independent of, capital. Capital is only the fruit of labor, and could never have existed if labor had not first existed. Labor is the superior of capital, and deserves much the higher consideration.”
—Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865)