second-degree murder

William Davon Hall was charged with second-degree murder for allegedly killing his cellmate, Stephen Scott Washington, at the Minnesota State Correctional Facility – Rush City on Oct. 9, 2025. Authorities responded to an alarm call after a correctional officer found Washington unconscious; he was later declared dead. Video surveillance showed fighting between the two men in their assigned cell.

Mario Anthony De La Torre was sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty to second-degree murder. The crime occurred during a violent confrontation at a busy intersection in Orange County. De La Torre killed Juan Murillo, an elderly man.

Jamie Briggs was found guilty of second-degree murder, assault, and weapons possession by a felon following an argument that led to a deadly 2020 shooting in Charlotte. A Mecklenburg County jury convicted him on Friday, sentencing him to at least 44 years in prison.

Courtney Clenney was charged with second-degree murder regarding Christian Obumseli’s death, which occurred at a Miami apartment in April 2022. Although her civil lawsuit claims were voluntarily dismissed with prejudice months before, she reached a plea agreement for the murder charge, setting her to appear back in court soon.

Courtney Clenney, accused of killing Christian Obumseli in 2022, is expected to accept a plea deal on Monday. She faces charges of second-degree murder related to the incident inside their Edgewater apartment. Prosecutors used body camera footage and videos of prior fights as evidence against her.

Randall Joseph Gall, 66, was arrested in Gaston, Oregon, in connection with the cold case murder of his elderly neighbor, Veta Hardebeck. Hardebeck was found dead outside her home on February 16, 1994, but investigations later confirmed it was a homicide. Gall was charged with second-degree murder after a grand jury indictment, and he is currently being held without bail.

A 20-year-old man was arrested for second-degree murder following a fatal attack. The incident occurred on August 5 at a Lahaina condo-resort, where he fatally attacked a 63-year-old man.

A man killed his boss at a NYC jewelry store using zip ties on Valentine's Day 2017 and pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. He is expected to spend the rest of his life in prison.

A 58-year-old man accused of stabbing his estranged wife 16 times in front of their 7-year-old daughter in 2019 rejected a plea deal during a Miami-Dade court hearing. The defendant, Onelio Castro-Arroyo, shouted at the judge and has a history of five prior convictions, including arson and theft.

A Georgia woman, Deja Coleman, faces second-degree murder charges after her 1-year-old son died in a hot car. Her attorney, Tom Ford, argues the incident was an accident caused by sleep deprivation and urges prosecutors to reduce the charge to involuntary manslaughter.

Deja Coleman, a Georgia woman, faces second-degree murder and cruelty charges after her 1-year-old son died in a hot car. Her attorney, Tom Ford, argues the incident was an accident caused by sleep deprivation and urges prosecutors to drop murder charges in favor of involuntary manslaughter.

A Georgia woman, Deja Coleman, is charged with second-degree murder and cruelty to children after her 1-year-old son died in a hot car. Her attorney, Tom Ford, argues the incident was an accident caused by sleep deprivation and her circumstances post-abuse, urging prosecutors to drop murder charges and reform legal responses to such cases.

A judge denied a motion to dismiss charges against Gary Marken in the Oxford Center explosion case, where he faces second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter for the death of 5-year-old Thomas Cooper. The defense argues he wasn’t a decision-maker, while prosecutors claim he enforced safety protocols despite knowing risks, with the judge stating the jury must determine his state of mind, and the defense plans to appeal, pausing the trial.

Gerardo Arroyo Almanza, a 37-year-old man from Simi Valley, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder for stabbing his father to death in 2024. He also admitted to three counts of criminal threats against other family members, as announced by the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office on August 3.

A 17-year-old suspect is being hunted by police in Florida after being linked to the double homicide of Dustin Rose, 19, and Samson Campbell, 18, who were found dead in a vacant lot. Authorities issued an arrest warrant for the teen on two counts of second-degree murder and described him as 'armed and dangerous'.

James Fitzsimmons was charged with second-degree murder, manslaughter, and assault after police allege he pushed James Britt into Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, leading to Britt’s death. Surveillance video showed the men fighting before Fitzsimmons pushed Britt into the water, and Britt was later declared dead at a hospital.

A Maryland man has been charged with second-degree murder and other charges following an altercation in which he allegedly pushed another man into Baltimore's Inner Harbor. Police report the victim was pushed during a fight, leading to his death.

A 13-year-old boy was charged with second-degree murder in the fatal shooting of 14-year-old Makayla Pennywell in Shreveport, Louisiana. Police found Makayla with a gunshot wound to her head at a home and took three people for questioning. The suspects are not related.

A 13-year-old boy was charged with second-degree murder in the fatal shooting of 14-year-old Makayla Pennywell in Shreveport, Louisiana. Police found Makayla with a gunshot wound to her head at a home, and three people were taken in for questioning. The suspect and victim were not related.

A 13-year-old boy was charged with second-degree murder in the fatal shooting of 14-year-old Makayla Pennywell in Shreveport, Louisiana. Police found Makayla with a fatal gunshot wound to her head at a home Sunday afternoon, and three people were taken in for questioning. The suspect and victim were not related.

OnlyFans model Courtney Clenney reached an undisclosed plea deal for second-degree murder ahead of her trial for her boyfriend’s stabbing death. The trial was scheduled for the following month.

A jury found Markal Cook guilty of second-degree murder and using a firearm in the commission of a felony in the shooting death of 15-year-old Jeyani Upshur outside the Mount Trashmore carnival in Virginia Beach, which occurred more than two years ago.

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court denied a 120-day stay of a ruling that declared mandatory life sentences for second-degree murder unconstitutional. The decision, stemming from Derek Lee's case where he was sentenced to life without parole after an accomplice shot a victim during an armed robbery, affects approximately 1,100 inmates serving similar sentences. The legislature failed to agree on new sentencing guidelines, and the court's decision allows affected individuals to challenge their sentences.

Alberto Marin, 31, of Salt Lake City, Utah, is charged with second-degree murder and obstruction of justice in connection with the death of 18-month-old Melanie Trahan in Beauregard Parish. The incident occurred on Sunday.

An 18-month-old girl, Melanie Trahan, who was in state custody since June 25, was hospitalized on July 21 with brain injuries and later died. Her foster father, Alberto Marin, was arrested for second-degree murder and obstruction of justice. The Department of Child and Family Services (DCFS) is conducting an internal review of its foster care procedures.

Sean Grayson will remain in prison after the Illinois Prisoner Review Board rejected his medical release application for advanced colon cancer. He was convicted of second-degree murder in the 2024 killing of Sonya Massey.

Jalen Pendergrass, ex-boyfriend of 17-year-old London Thomas, was sentenced to 25 to 50 years in prison after pleading guilty to second-degree murder. Thomas was found dead in a sealed bin in Southfield on April 26, 2025, two weeks after she went missing. Her death was ruled a homicide due to asphyxia.

Jalen Pendergrass was sentenced for the 2025 murder of his teen girlfriend London Thomas after pleading guilty to second-degree murder. The crime occurred in 2025.

Jalen Pendergrass, the ex-boyfriend of 17-year-old London Thomas, was sentenced to 25-50 years in prison for her 2025 murder after pleading guilty to second-degree murder. His mother, Charla Pendergrass, faces charges including first-degree murder and tampering with evidence. London's mother and grandmother provided victim impact statements at the sentencing.

Susan Gehrke, a 61-year-old Arizona grandmother who had survived cancer twice, died after being punched in the face during a July 24 attack. The suspect, Dahseir Edward Jefferson, was charged with second-degree murder and has a prior violent criminal history. The attack occurred at an apartment complex in Tucson, where Jefferson allegedly assaulted two victims, causing critical injuries.

Jillian Ludwig's family is advocating for New Jersey to adopt legislation similar to Tennessee's 'Jillian's Law,' which would require institutional commitment for violent offenders deemed incompetent to stand trial. The law targets individuals charged with violent crimes like murder or aggravated assault, following Jillian's death from a stray bullet in 2023.

A Georgia mother, Deja Coleman, was arrested after her infant son was found dead in a hot car outside Northside Gwinnett Hospital. She claimed she forgot to drop him off at daycare after transporting her other two children, and police cited a car temperature of 117 degrees an hour after discovery. Coleman faces charges of second-degree murder and second-degree cruelty to children.

A mother in Georgia was arrested after her infant died in a hot car that she forgot to leave at a daycare. The 29-year-old, who works at the hospital where the car was found, was charged with second-degree murder and cruelty to children. Police reported the car temperature reached 117 degrees an hour after the child was discovered unresponsive.

A 29-year-old mother was arrested and charged with second-degree murder and second-degree cruelty to children after her infant died in a hot car at a Georgia hospital. She reportedly forgot to drop the child off at daycare after successfully dropping off her other two children.

An 18-month-old girl, Melanie Trahan, was hospitalized on July 21 and later died on July 26. Her foster father, Alberto Marin, was arrested on July 30 on charges of second-degree murder and obstruction of justice. Digital evidence obtained by detectives led to the arrest, and Melanie had brain hemorrhaging in various stages of healing.

A 66-year-old inmate serving a life sentence for a second-degree murder conviction died unexpectedly at Brown Creek Correctional Institution. EMS pronounced Danny A. White deceased, and an investigation into his death is ongoing.

Colin Gray, a man who provided his son with the gun used in a high school shooting at Apalachee High School in Georgia, was sentenced to 15 years in prison. He was convicted of second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter.

Colin Gray was sentenced to 15 years in prison for providing his son, Colt Gray, the gun used in a 2024 school shooting at Apalachee High School in Georgia, which killed four people and injured others. Colt Gray received a life sentence after pleading guilty to murder charges in the attack.

Colin Gray, the father of a 14-year-old who committed a mass shooting at Apalachee High School in Georgia in 2024, was sentenced to 15 years in prison for failing to secure the gun used in the attack. Gray, the first parent in the U.S. to be convicted of second-degree murder for providing a gun to their child, gave his son a semiautomatic rifle for Christmas despite prior warnings about the teen's mental health and online threats.

A father faces sentencing for providing his son with the gun used in a Georgia high school shooting that killed two students and two teachers. He was convicted of second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter related to the incident at Apalachee High School.