The felony murder rule is a legal doctrine that expands the definition of murder and makes criminal accomplices (including a lookout or getaway driver) as responsible for a death that occurs in the course of a dangerous felony crime as the person who directly caused the death by pulling the trigger of a gun, stabbing the victim with a knife, strangling the victim, or otherwise causing the victim’s death. Examples of dangerous felony crimes that implicate the felony murder rule include robbery, burglary, rape, aggravated kidnapping, carjacking, and arson.

When the felony murder rule applies, it may make a criminal accomplice liable for murder even if the criminals had agreed that no one would be killed in the course of the crime, and even if it is a fellow criminal who is killed in the course of the crime—such as when a police officer or security guard shoots a bank robber—which may result in all other accomplices to the crime being charged with murder.

In many states the felony murder rule—and any distinctions between the culpability of accomplices and principals to a crime—are located in the state’s statutes—often in the penal or criminal code.

In Tennessee, the felony murder rule is codified in the state's criminal statutes and is a component of the state's homicide laws. Under Tennessee law, a person can be charged with felony murder if they kill another during the commission or attempted commission of certain felonies, such as robbery, burglary, rape, kidnapping, arson, or theft. This rule applies not only to the person who directly causes the death but also to accomplices involved in the felony. For example, a getaway driver or lookout can be charged with felony murder if a death occurs, even if they did not directly commit the act of killing. The rule also extends to situations where an accomplice is killed during the crime, such as by law enforcement. The intent to kill is not a necessary element for felony murder charges in Tennessee; the mere participation in a qualifying felony that results in death can lead to a felony murder charge. This doctrine is intended to deter individuals from engaging in felonies that could foreseeably result in loss of life.