Criminal Homicide Laws in Tennessee
- Under the Tennessee Code Annotated, a person can be charged with homicide. even if he does not intentionally kill someone. In Tennessee, those who either recklessly or deliberately take another person's life can be charged with one or more felony offenses; the state's legal code discusses "offenses against the person" such as first-degree murder, voluntary manslaughter or reckless homicide.
- In Tennessee, a person can be charged with homicide if his actions outside of a legally sanctioned abortion lead to the death of a viable fetus, according to the University of Tennessee, Knoxville Department of Political Science website. Generally, such instances are when a person kills an expectant mother and those actions lead to the death of her unborn child.
- Assisted suicide is criminal homicide under Tennessee law, according to the University of Tennessee, Knoxville Department of Political Science website. This class D felony is punishable by two to 12 years in prison and a fine of up to $5,000.
- Under the Tennessee Code, someone who deliberately takes another person's life can be charged with first- or second-degree murder, according to the University of Tennessee, Knoxville Department of Political Science website. A convict can receive an upgraded charge of capital murder and a death sentence if he commits this act in the commission of another crime, such as rape, robbery or abduction. Ordinarily, murder is punishable by either 15 to 60 years in prison for second-degree murder or life imprisonment in first-degree murder cases. Prosecuting attorneys must show strong evidence of premeditation on the defendant's part, as well as a serious intent to end another person's life to obtain a first-degree murder conviction.
- Voluntary manslaughter under Tennessee law is when someone kills another person without premeditation, according to CNN. A famous case of manslaughter in Tennessee involved Mary Winkler, who was convicted of shooting her preacher husband to death. Voluntary manslaughter, a felony offense, typically carries a 3- to 6-year prison sentence.
- Vehicular homicide often is associated with drunk driving-related deaths in Tennessee, according to NWTN Today. In cases of habitual impaired driving, judges have the option to convict offenders of aggravated vehicular homicide; this charge carries a potential 25-year prison sentence. However, with good behavior, defendants convicted of even aggravated vehicular homicide might serve only seven to eight years of their sentences.
