Murder is the intentional, premeditated killing of another human being. The premeditation requirement for murder was historically described in the law as “malice aforethought.”

Laws regarding murder vary from state to state, and some states have a separate criminal offense of capital murder, which usually involves the most egregious circumstances, such as killing a peace officer in the line of duty or lying in wait to ambush and kill the victim. Capital murder offenses carry a potential death penalty.

And some states use the distinction of first degree murder (done with premeditation and punishable by death or life in prison) and second degree murder (generally an intentional killing without premeditation—also known as manslaughter or voluntary manslaughter in some states).

The criminal offense of murder is generally located in a state’s statutes—often in the penal or criminal code.

In Wyoming, murder is defined under state statutes as the unlawful killing of a human being with malice aforethought, which encompasses the element of premeditation. Wyoming law distinguishes between first-degree and second-degree murder. First-degree murder includes any premeditated killing or a killing that occurs during the commission of certain felonies, and it is punishable by death or life imprisonment according to Wyoming Statutes § 6-2-101. Second-degree murder, as per Wyoming Statutes § 6-2-104, is any intentional killing without premeditation. Wyoming does not use the term 'capital murder,' but first-degree murder can be subject to capital punishment under specific aggravating circumstances. Manslaughter, both voluntary and involuntary, is a separate offense and is considered a less severe crime than murder, involving killings without malice or intention.