Bill > S948

This bill proposes changes to Massachusetts General Laws related to violent crime, specifically focusing on murder offenses committed by individuals under the age of seventeen and the sentencing for such crimes. It amends Chapter 119, Section 52, to include murder committed by someone under seventeen as a crime that can be prosecuted. It also amends Section 54 of Chapter 119 to allow for prosecution of these individuals either through a complaint in juvenile court or by indictment, which is a formal accusation by a grand jury. Furthermore, Section 72B of Chapter 119 is modified to establish specific sentencing guidelines for individuals found guilty of first-degree murder committed before their fourteenth birthday, with a 20-year sentence and parole eligibility after 15 years, or for second-degree murder, with a 15-year sentence and parole eligibility after 10 years. The bill also introduces a new Section 15G to Chapter 265, criminalizing the solicitation of another person to commit murder, punishable by up to 20 years in state prison. Finally, it amends Chapter 279, Section 24, to adjust sentencing for life imprisonment, particularly for first-degree murder, requiring a minimum term of 35 years for those eligible for parole.