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As we’ve become familiar with various cases of police brutality and situations where murder charges are brought up, we have to educate one another on what each sentence carries. Did prosecutors charge too much? Did they charge too lightly? Does the charge carry the stiffest possible penalty for the crime?

In the wake of ex-Minneapolis cop Derek Chauvin being charged with third-degree murder in the death of Houston native George Floyd, we wanted to give you a breakdown of the legal definition of each type of murder and the sentencing that one could receive if found guilty.

Check the definition of each murder charge below.

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First Degree Murder: According to Quora, first-degree murder (or Capital Murder) as it is referred to in Texas is an unlawful killing with some amount of premeditation and planning. Some crimes that would classify as the first degree is:

First-degree murder is the most serious of all homicide charges as there was intent behind the killing. A first-degree murder charge has a maximum charge of life in prison or in states where the death penalty is legal: death.

Second Degree Murder: This is a murder that is labeled as intentional murder. Second Degree is when the killer lacked any premeditation and his/her intent was just to cause bodily harm. The sentence for second-degree murder is 15 years to life. In Texas, second-degree murder is simply considered murder and carries a sentence of five to 99 years in prison.

Third Degree MurderThe unlawful killing of a human being, when perpetrated without any design to effect death, by a person engaged in the perpetration of, or in the attempt to perpetrate, any felony other than” nineteen enumerated categories of felonies. Third-degree murder is only in three states which are FloridaMinnesota, and Pennsylvania. The sentence for third-degree murder in those states is a maximum of 25 years.

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You Asked: How Long Is A Third-Degree Murder Sentence?  was originally published on rnbphilly.com