An Act to Eliminate the Crime of Felony Murder
Maine Legislature, Session 132, LD 0986
Committee: Judiciary
Sponsors: BEEBE-CENTER
Amends: 5 MRSA §4651, 15 MRSA §321, 15 MRSA §454, 15 MRSA §3101, 15 MRSA §3308-C, 17-A MRSA §202, 22 MRSA §4002, 22 MRSA §4055

Legislative Document
No. 986
S.P. 418
In Senate, March 11, 2025
An Act to Eliminate the Crime of Felony Murder
Reference to the Committee on Judiciary suggested and ordered printed.
DAREK M. GRANT
Secretary of the Senate
Presented by Senator BEEBE-CENTER of Knox.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  5 MRSA §4651, sub-§2, ¶C, as amended by PL 2017, c. 455, §1, is further 
amended to read:
C.  A single act or course of conduct constituting a violation of section 4681; Title 17, 
section 2931; or Title 17‑A, section 201, 202, 203, 204, 207, 208, 209, 210, 210‑A, 
211, 253, 254, 255‑A, 256, 258, 259‑A, 259‑B, 260, 261, 282, 283, 301, 302, 303, 506, 
506‑A, 511, 511‑A, 556, 802, 805, 806, 852 or 853.
Sec. 2.  15 MRSA §321, sub-§2, ¶A, as amended by PL 2023, c. 405, Pt. A, §32, 
is further amended to read:
A.  A person is charged with or convicted of a violation of Title 17‑A, section 201, 
202, 203, 204, 207, 207‑A, 208, 208‑A, 208‑B, 208‑C, 208‑D, 208‑E, 208‑F, 209, 
209‑A, 210, 210‑A, 210‑B, 210‑C, 211, 253, 301, 302, 303, 506‑A or 556;
Sec. 3.  15 MRSA §454, as amended by PL 2015, c. 431, §6, is further amended to 
read:
§454.  Murder or felony murder; filing copies of proceedings; expenses
Whenever any person is convicted of murder or felony murder, by jury verdict, court 
finding or court acceptance of a plea of guilty or nolo contendere, a copy, as applicable, of 
the transcript of the plea hearing, trial testimony and jury instructions, certified by the 
Official Court Reporter who created a transcript of the reporter's stenographic notes or the 
transcriber who created a transcript from the electronically recorded record, must be filed 
with the clerk of the court where that trial is held, and the expense for the transcript must 
be paid by the State. A copy, as applicable, of the transcript of the plea hearing, trial 
testimony and jury instructions, certified by the Official Court Reporter who created a 
transcript of the reporter’s stenographic notes or the transcriber who created a transcript 
from the electronically recorded record, must be furnished by the clerk of court to the 
Secretary of State at no charge for use in any pardon hearing before the Governor, when 
the individual is indigent.
Sec. 4.  15 MRSA §3101, sub-§4, ¶C-2, as amended by PL 2007, c. 475, §6, is 
further amended to read:
C-2.  With respect to the finding of appropriateness required by paragraph E, 
subparagraph (2), the State has the burden of proof, except that in a case involving a 
juvenile who is charged with one or more juvenile crimes that, if the juvenile were an 
adult, would constitute murder, aggravated attempted murder, attempted murder, 
felony murder, Class A manslaughter other than the reckless or criminally negligent 
operation of a motor vehicle, elevated aggravated assault on a pregnant person, 
elevated aggravated assault, arson that recklessly endangers any person, causing a 
catastrophe, Class A robbery or Class A gross sexual assault in which the victim 
submits as a result of compulsion, the juvenile has the burden of proof.
Sec. 5.  15 MRSA §3308-C, sub-§2, ¶A, as enacted by PL 2021, c. 365, §19 and 
affected by §37, is amended to read:
A.  Any juvenile petition alleging a violation of Title 17‑A, section 201, 202 or 203 if 
the juvenile charged had attained 13 years of age at the time of the alleged juvenile 
crime, if the Juvenile Court has found there is probable cause to believe the juvenile 
committed a juvenile crime that would be a violation of Title 17‑A, section 201, 202 
or 203 if the juvenile involved were an adult.
If the juvenile had not attained 13 years of age at the time of the alleged violation of 
Title 17‑A, section 201, 202 or 203, the Juvenile Court may allow public inspection of 
the juvenile petition pursuant to paragraph C;
Sec. 6.  17-A MRSA §202, as amended by PL 1991, c. 377, §8, is repealed.
Sec. 7.  22 MRSA §4002, sub-§1-B, ¶B, as enacted by PL 1997, c. 715, Pt. B, §1, 
is amended by repealing subparagraph (2).
Sec. 8.  22 MRSA §4055, sub-§1-A, ¶B, as amended by PL 2015, c. 360, §4, is 
further amended by repealing subparagraph (2).
SUMMARY
This bill eliminates the crime of felony murder and removes cross-references to that 
crime in the Maine Revised Statutes.