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 Connecticut, murder is defined under Connecticut General Statutes § 53a-54a as the intentional killing of another person with 'malice aforethought,' which aligns with the historical concept of premeditation. Connecticut law distinguishes between different degrees of murder. First-degree murder, as per § 53a-54a, involves situations with specific aggravating factors, such as the killing of a law enforcement officer, murder for hire, or a killing committed during the course of a kidnapping. This is punishable by life imprisonment, with or without the possibility of release. Connecticut does not have the death penalty, as it was abolished in 2012 and the Connecticut Supreme Court ruled in 2015 that it was unconstitutional. Second-degree murder, covered by § 53a-54d, involves intentional killing without premeditation and is punishable by lesser sentences than first-degree murder. Manslaughter in the first degree, under § 53a-55, involves intentional killings under certain mitigating circumstances and is distinct from murder. Connecticut does not use the term 'capital murder,' but the most serious murder charges could have been classified as such before the abolition of the death penalty.