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Colorado Capital Punishment Laws
More Information on Capital Punishment Laws
| Code Section | 8-3-101, et seq; 18-3-301, et seq; 18-1.3-1201 et seq. |
| Is Capital Punishment Allowed? | Yes for Class 1 felonies |
| Effect of Defendant's Incapacity | Mitigating factor; suspend sentence; if "mentally retarded" then sentenced to life in prison. |
| Minimum Age | Age is mitigating factor; no one under 18 (Sullivan v. People, 111 Colo. 205, 139 P.2d 876 (1943)) |
| Available for Crimes Other than Homicide? | First degree kidnapping if victim has been injured, but defendant will not be sentenced to death if victim is liberated alive prior to the conviction of kidnapper. Treason. |
| Definition of Capital Homicide | Murder committed by person imprisoned for Class 1, 2 or 3 felony; previous crime of violence; intentionally killed peace officer/former peace officer, judge, firefighter, elected official, federal officer he knew or should have known to be engaged in official duties or retaliation for past official duties; kidnapped person intentionally killed; agreement to kill; explosives or incendiary device; pecuniary gain; heinous or cruel; hate crime; victim was under 12; defendant killed 1 or more persons in the same episode; defendant killed victim knowing she was pregnant. |
| Method of Execution | Lethal injection |
Note: State laws are constantly changing -- contact an attorney or conduct your own legal research to verify the state law(s) you are researching.
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