104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2025 and 2026 SB1788 Introduced 2/5/2025, by Sen. Robert Peters SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED: 720 ILCS 5/9-1 from Ch. 38, par. 9-1720 ILCS 5/9-2 from Ch. 38, par. 9-2 Amends the Criminal Code of 2012. Eliminates the felony murder provisions from the first degree murder statute. Provides that a person commits second degree murder when he or she, acting alone or with one or more participants, commits or attempts to commit a forcible felony, other than first degree murder, and in the course of or in furtherance of the crime or flight from the crime, he or she or another participant causes the death of a person, other than one of the participants. LRB104 04656 RLC 19303 b A BILL FOR 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2025 and 2026 SB1788 Introduced 2/5/2025, by Sen. Robert Peters SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED: 720 ILCS 5/9-1 from Ch. 38, par. 9-1720 ILCS 5/9-2 from Ch. 38, par. 9-2 720 ILCS 5/9-1 from Ch. 38, par. 9-1 720 ILCS 5/9-2 from Ch. 38, par. 9-2 Amends the Criminal Code of 2012. Eliminates the felony murder provisions from the first degree murder statute. Provides that a person commits second degree murder when he or she, acting alone or with one or more participants, commits or attempts to commit a forcible felony, other than first degree murder, and in the course of or in furtherance of the crime or flight from the crime, he or she or another participant causes the death of a person, other than one of the participants. LRB104 04656 RLC 19303 b LRB104 04656 RLC 19303 b A BILL FOR 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2025 and 2026 SB1788 Introduced 2/5/2025, by Sen. Robert Peters SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED: 720 ILCS 5/9-1 from Ch. 38, par. 9-1720 ILCS 5/9-2 from Ch. 38, par. 9-2 720 ILCS 5/9-1 from Ch. 38, par. 9-1 720 ILCS 5/9-2 from Ch. 38, par. 9-2 720 ILCS 5/9-1 from Ch. 38, par. 9-1 720 ILCS 5/9-2 from Ch. 38, par. 9-2 Amends the Criminal Code of 2012. Eliminates the felony murder provisions from the first degree murder statute. Provides that a person commits second degree murder when he or she, acting alone or with one or more participants, commits or attempts to commit a forcible felony, other than first degree murder, and in the course of or in furtherance of the crime or flight from the crime, he or she or another participant causes the death of a person, other than one of the participants. LRB104 04656 RLC 19303 b LRB104 04656 RLC 19303 b LRB104 04656 RLC 19303 b A BILL FOR SB1788LRB104 04656 RLC 19303 b SB1788 LRB104 04656 RLC 19303 b SB1788 LRB104 04656 RLC 19303 b 1 AN ACT concerning criminal law. 2 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, 3 represented in the General Assembly: 4 Section 5. The Criminal Code of 2012 is amended by 5 changing Sections 9-1 and 9-2 as follows: 6 (720 ILCS 5/9-1) (from Ch. 38, par. 9-1) 7 Sec. 9-1. First degree murder. 8 (a) A person who kills an individual without lawful 9 justification commits first degree murder if, in performing 10 the acts which cause the death: 11 (1) he or she either intends to kill or do great bodily 12 harm to that individual or another, or knows that such 13 acts will cause death to that individual or another; or 14 (2) he or she knows that such acts create a strong 15 probability of death or great bodily harm to that 16 individual or another; or 17 (3) (blank). he or she, acting alone or with one or 18 more participants, commits or attempts to commit a 19 forcible felony other than second degree murder, and in 20 the course of or in furtherance of such crime or flight 21 therefrom, he or she or another participant causes the 22 death of a person. 23 (b) (Blank). 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2025 and 2026 SB1788 Introduced 2/5/2025, by Sen. Robert Peters SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED: 720 ILCS 5/9-1 from Ch. 38, par. 9-1720 ILCS 5/9-2 from Ch. 38, par. 9-2 720 ILCS 5/9-1 from Ch. 38, par. 9-1 720 ILCS 5/9-2 from Ch. 38, par. 9-2 720 ILCS 5/9-1 from Ch. 38, par. 9-1 720 ILCS 5/9-2 from Ch. 38, par. 9-2 Amends the Criminal Code of 2012. Eliminates the felony murder provisions from the first degree murder statute. Provides that a person commits second degree murder when he or she, acting alone or with one or more participants, commits or attempts to commit a forcible felony, other than first degree murder, and in the course of or in furtherance of the crime or flight from the crime, he or she or another participant causes the death of a person, other than one of the participants. LRB104 04656 RLC 19303 b LRB104 04656 RLC 19303 b LRB104 04656 RLC 19303 b A BILL FOR 720 ILCS 5/9-1 from Ch. 38, par. 9-1 720 ILCS 5/9-2 from Ch. 38, par. 9-2 LRB104 04656 RLC 19303 b SB1788 LRB104 04656 RLC 19303 b SB1788- 2 -LRB104 04656 RLC 19303 b SB1788 - 2 - LRB104 04656 RLC 19303 b SB1788 - 2 - LRB104 04656 RLC 19303 b 1 (b-5) (Blank). 2 (c) (Blank). 3 (d) (Blank). 4 (e) (Blank). 5 (f) (Blank). 6 (g) (Blank). 7 (h) (Blank). 8 (h-5) (Blank). 9 (i) (Blank). 10 (j) (Blank). 11 (k) (Blank). 12 (Source: P.A. 103-51, eff. 1-1-24; 103-605, eff. 7-1-24.) 13 (720 ILCS 5/9-2) (from Ch. 38, par. 9-2) 14 Sec. 9-2. Second degree murder. 15 (a) A person commits the offense of second degree murder 16 when: 17 (1) he or she, acting alone or with one or more 18 participants, commits or attempts to commit a forcible 19 felony, other than first degree murder, and in the course 20 of or in furtherance of the crime or flight from the crime, 21 he or she or another participant causes the death of a 22 person, other than one of the participants; or 23 (2) he or she commits the offense of first degree 24 murder as defined in paragraph (1) or (2) of subsection 25 (a) of Section 9-1 of this Code and either of the following SB1788 - 2 - LRB104 04656 RLC 19303 b SB1788- 3 -LRB104 04656 RLC 19303 b SB1788 - 3 - LRB104 04656 RLC 19303 b SB1788 - 3 - LRB104 04656 RLC 19303 b 1 mitigating factors are present: 2 (A) (1) at the time of the killing he or she is 3 acting under a sudden and intense passion resulting 4 from serious provocation by the individual killed or 5 another whom the offender endeavors to kill, but he or 6 she negligently or accidentally causes the death of 7 the individual killed; or 8 (B) (2) at the time of the killing he or she 9 believes the circumstances to be such that, if they 10 existed, would justify or exonerate the killing under 11 the principles stated in Article 7 of this Code, but 12 his or her belief is unreasonable. 13 (b) Serious provocation is conduct sufficient to excite an 14 intense passion in a reasonable person provided, however, that 15 an action that does not otherwise constitute serious 16 provocation cannot qualify as serious provocation because of 17 the discovery, knowledge, or disclosure of the victim's sexual 18 orientation as defined in Section 1-103 of the Illinois Human 19 Rights Act. 20 (c) When evidence of either of the mitigating factors 21 defined in subsection (a) of this Section has been presented, 22 the burden of proof is on the defendant to prove either 23 mitigating factor by a preponderance of the evidence before 24 the defendant can be found guilty of second degree murder. The 25 burden of proof, however, remains on the State to prove beyond 26 a reasonable doubt each of the elements of first degree murder SB1788 - 3 - LRB104 04656 RLC 19303 b SB1788- 4 -LRB104 04656 RLC 19303 b SB1788 - 4 - LRB104 04656 RLC 19303 b SB1788 - 4 - LRB104 04656 RLC 19303 b SB1788 - 4 - LRB104 04656 RLC 19303 b