Conspiracy to Commit Murder

Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 274, Section 7, provides for punishment for the crime of Conspiracy to Commit Murder with imprisonment in the House of Correction for up to 2.5 years, or to State Prison for up to 20 years.

Conspiracy to Commit Murder is committed when a person:

1. Joins in an agreement or plan with one or more persons;
2. The purpose of the agreement was to commit murder; and
3. The defendant joined the conspiracy knowing of the unlawful plan to help and carry out the murder.

A conspiracy is an agreement by two or more people to do something that is unlawful, or to do something lawful by unlawful means. The crime is the agreement to do something, and it does not matter whether the plan was successful or even whether any steps were actually carried out to complete the plan.

In prosecutions involving Conspiracy to Commit Murder or Conspiracy in general, the prosecutor is not required to prove that the conspirators entered into a ‘formal agreement’, or that they agreed on every single detail of the conspiracy, or even that they met to discuss it. The prosecutor simply has to prove that there was a joint plan among the conspirators, and that the defendant adopted that plan.

Evidence that the defendant simply knew about the conspiracy or even simply associated with the conspirators is not enough. Rather, the prosecutor must prove that the defendant actually joined in the conspiracy knowing of the unlawful plan and intended to take part in it and help carry it out.

If you have been charged with Conspiracy to Commit Murder, Boston Criminal Lawyer Lefteris K. Travayiakis is available 24/7 for consultation.

To schedule a Free Consultation with a Boston Murder Lawyer, Contact Us Online or call 617-325-9500.