Lawmakers miss deadline to rewrite Pennsylvania’s second-degree murder law
July 26, 2026
Metro Philadelphia: “State legislators missed the deadline to rewrite Pennsylvania’s second-degree murder law, after the commonwealth’s highest court ruled that imposing a mandatory life sentence was unconstitutional.
Someone is charged with the crime, also known as felony murder, when they are accused of participating in a serious felony that results in a person being killed, even if they did not pull the trigger. Unlike first-degree murder, prosecutors do not need to prove an intent to kill.
In a landmark decision on March 26, the state Supreme Court found that the commonwealth’s longstanding punishment – life behind bars without the possibility of parole – violated the Pennsylvania Constitution’s prohibition on “cruel punishments.”
Chief Justice Debra Todd, in the majority opinion, wrote that individuals incarcerated for second-degree murder “must receive a meaningful consideration of release, based upon their individual culpability and circumstances surrounding their crime.”…
Lee was convicted of second-degree murder in connection with a deadly robbery 12 years ago in Pittsburgh. His appeal, backed by the Abolitionist Law Center and Amistad Law Project, among others, reached the high court.”