Bill > S0270

This bill amends South Carolina law to redefine attempted murder, specifying that it occurs when someone commits an unlawful, violent act that causes injury to another person with malice, which means with a deliberate intent to harm or cause death. The bill also introduces two degrees of attempted murder: attempted murder in the first degree, which involves attempting to kill another person with malice or with reckless disregard for life, carrying a penalty of five to thirty years in prison, and attempted murder in the second degree, which involves discharging a firearm at a group or location where people are expected to be, carrying a penalty of three to twenty years in prison, with exceptions for self-defense or defense of others. The bill also clarifies that these provisions are intended to replace any conflicting common law principles.