Bristol County Felony Murder Defense Lawyers

Not-Guilty Verdicts in First-Degree Murder Cases in Bristol County Courts

Felony murder charges carry a mandatory sentence of life in prison without parole. That outcome isn’t inevitable, but the quality of your defense from the earliest stages of an investigation shapes what’s possible. The Law Office of Frank D. Camera and Associates, P.C. has obtained multiple not-guilty verdicts on first-degree murder charges, including a named acquittal for David Reed in New Bedford. Past results do not predict future outcomes.

Attorney Frank Camera founded the firm in 1999 and has focused much of his career on murder charges. He has conducted hundreds of trials in state and federal courts and handled thousands of cases across those decades. His reputation has attracted law enforcement personnel and other attorneys as clients when they themselves face criminal charges. The firm holds Top 100 Lawyers and Super Lawyer designations, and with over 35 years of combined criminal defense experience, The Law Office of Frank D. Camera and Associates, P.C. brings substantial resources to every case it accepts. We handle felony murder cases in Fall River, New Bedford, Taunton, and throughout Bristol County. We don’t take court-appointed cases. Clients we represent chose to retain us.

Contact The Law Office of Frank D. Camera and Associates, P.C. at (877) 444-1098 for a free consultation with a murder attorney in Bristol County.

What Felony Murder Means Under Massachusetts Law

Felony murder is defined under M.G.L. c. 265, s. 1, which classifies first-degree murder to include any killing that occurs during the commission or attempted commission of a crime punishable by death or life imprisonment. The defining feature of this charge is what prosecutors don’t have to prove: intent to kill. Where traditional murder charges require proof of malice aforethought, felony murder substitutes the intent to commit the underlying felony in its place.

That distinction has significant consequences for who can be charged. A defendant doesn’t have to be the person who caused the death. Participation in the underlying felony may be enough. Under a joint-venture theory, a co-defendant who shared the mental state required for the underlying crime and acted as an aider or abettor can face the same first-degree murder charge as the person who pulled the trigger. Massachusetts courts still require the prosecution to prove at least one prong of malice against each defendant individually.

Predicate felonies that can trigger a felony murder charge include:

• Armed robbery
• Rape
• Kidnapping
• Burglary

The prosecution must also show that the death occurred at the same place and general time as the underlying felony or during the escape. That temporal and geographic connection is one area where a skilled defense can challenge the charge.

Penalties for Felony Murder in Massachusetts

A felony murder conviction in Massachusetts is a conviction for first-degree murder. For adult offenders, the sentence is mandatory: life in prison without the possibility of parole. There is no judicial discretion on that point. Defendants who were under 21 at the time of the offense are subject to different sentencing rules under Massachusetts law.

A felony murder prosecution typically includes charges for the underlying felony as well, meaning a defendant confronts multiple serious counts simultaneously. Armed robbery, burglary, kidnapping, and similar predicate offenses each carry their own substantial penalties on top of the murder charge. Resolving that full exposure requires a defense strategy built around every charge, not just the murder count.