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Pennsylvania Criminal Laws
1st Degree Murder - A criminal homicide constitutes murder of the first degree when it is committed by an intentional killing.
2nd Degree Murder - A criminal homicide constitutes murder of the second degree when it is committed while defendant was engaged as a principal or an accomplice in the perpetration of a felony.
3rd Degree Murder - All other kinds of murder shall be murder of the third degree. Murder of the third degree is a felony of the first degree.
Aggravated assault - A person is guilty of aggravated assault if he:
attempts to cause serious bodily injury to another, or causes such injury intentionally, knowingly or recklessly under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to the value of human life;
attempts to cause or intentionally, knowingly or recklessly causes serious bodily injury to any of the officers, agents, employees or other persons enumerated in subsection (c) or to an employee of an agency, company or other entity engaged in public transportation, while in the performance of duty;
attempts to cause or intentionally or knowingly causes bodily injury to a any of the officers, agents, employees or other persons enumerated in subsection (c), in the performance of duty;
attempts to cause or intentionally or knowingly causes bodily injury to another with a deadly weapon; or
attempts to cause or intentionally or knowingly causes bodily injury to a teaching staff member, school board member, or other employee, including a student employee, of any elementary or secondary publicly-funded educational institution, any elementary or secondary private school licensed by the Department of Education or any elementary or secondary parochial school while acting in the scope of his or her employment or because of his or her employment relationship to the school.
attempts by physical menace to put any of the officers, agents, employees or other persons enumerated in subsection (c), while in the performance of duty, in fear of imminent serious bodily injury.
Criminal homicide -A person is guilty of criminal homicide if he intentionally, knowingly, recklessly or negligently causes the death of another human being.
Harassment - A person commits the crime of harassment when, with intent to harass, annoy or alarm another, the person:
strikes, shoves, kicks or otherwise subjects the other person to physical contact, or attempts or threatens to do the same; or
follows the other person in or about a public place or places; or
engages in a course of conduct or repeatedly commits acts which serve no legitimate purpose.
Involuntary manslaughter - A person is guilty of involuntary manslaughter when as a direct result of the doing of an unlawful act in a reckless or grossly negligent manner, or the doing of a lawful act in a reckless or grossly negligent manner, he causes the death of another person.
Kidnapping - A person is guilty of kidnapping if he unlawfully removes another a substantial distance under the circumstances from the place where he is found, or if he unlawfully confines another for a substantial period in a place of isolation, with any of the following intentions:
To hold for ransom or reward, or as a shield or hostage.
To facilitate commission of any felony or flight thereafter.
To inflict bodily injury on or to terrorize the victim or another.
To interfere with the performance by public officials of any governmental or political function.
Reckless endangerment - A person commits a misdemeanor of the second degree if he recklessly engages in conduct which places or may place another person in danger of death or serious bodily injury.
Simple assault - A person is guilty of assault if he:
attempts to cause or intentionally, knowingly or recklessly causes bodily injury to another;
negligently causes bodily injury to another with a deadly weapon; or
attempts by physical menace to put another in fear of imminent serious bodily injury.
Stalking -A person commits the crime of stalking when he engages in a course of conduct or repeatedly commits acts toward another person, including following the person without proper authority, under circumstances which demonstrate either of the following:
an intent to place the person in reasonable fear of bodily injury; or
an intent to cause substantial emotional distress to the person.
Voluntary manslaughter - A person who kills an individual without lawful justification commits voluntary manslaughter if at the time of the killing he is acting under a sudden and intense passion resulting from serious provocation by:
the individual killed; or
another whom the actor endeavors to kill, but to negligently or accidentally causes the death of the individual killed.