Updated
Section 18-3-107 C.R.S. of the Colorado criminal code provides a special penalty for first-degree murder when the victim is engaged in his or her duties as:
- a peace officer,
- a firefighter, or
- an emergency medical service provider.
If you commit first-degree murder against one of these people, the punishment is:
- life imprisonment without the possibility of parole
Colorado 18-3-107 C.R.S. applies when one of these people is:
- Engaged, acting in, or present for the purpose of engaging or acting in, the performance of any duty, service, or function imposed, authorized, required, or permitted by law to be performed by a peace officer, firefighter, or emergency medical service provider; AND
- Such a person is in uniform or the person committing the crime otherwise knows or reasonably should know that such person is a peace officer, firefighter, or emergency medical service provider.
In addition to the regular defenses to Colorado first-degree murder, you can defend against these special charges by showing that:
- At the time of the alleged murder, the peace officer, firefighter, or emergency medical service provider was not engaged in the performance of his or her duties, and
- You did not know – nor could you reasonably have known – the person was a peace officer, firefighter, or emergency medical service provider.
Call us for help…
Call us for help
First-degree murder of a peace officer, firefighter, or emergency medical service provider is possibly the most serious charge you can face in Colorado.
If you have been charged with murdering or assaulting a peace officer, firefighter, emergency medical service provider, our Denver Colorado criminal defense lawyers may be able to help.
We have decades of experience defending complex criminal cases. Communities our criminal attorneys serve include Denver, Colorado Springs, Aurora, Fort Collins, Lakewood, Thornton, Arvada, Westminster, Centennial and Boulder.
For a free consultation by phone or in person, you can reach us confidentially using the form on this page. Or call us at our Denver home office:
Colorado Legal Defense Group
4047 Tejon Street
Denver, CO 80211
(303) 222-0330