Definition

Noun 1. A legal judgment declaring a person guilty of the crime of murder: A "murder conviction" is the formal outcome of a criminal trial where a defendant has been found guilty, beyond a reasonable doubt, of unlawfully killing another person with malice aforethought.

Usage

• A "murder conviction" is a specific type of criminal conviction. It is the result of a successful prosecution by the state.
• It is used in legal, journalistic, and general contexts to describe the status of a person found guilty of murder.
• It often carries implications for sentencing, such as life imprisonment or, in some jurisdictions, the death penalty.

Examples

• The evidence was overwhelming, leading to a murder conviction.
• After a lengthy trial, the jury returned a murder conviction.
• He is appealing his murder conviction, claiming new evidence has been found.
• The prosecutor sought a murder conviction in the first degree.

Advanced Usage

• "To secure/obtain a murder conviction": This phrase is used from the perspective of the prosecution, meaning to successfully argue a case to the point where the defendant is found guilty of murder.
  • The district attorney's office worked for months to secure a murder conviction.
• "To overturn a murder conviction": This refers to a higher court reversing the guilty verdict, often due to legal errors or new evidence.
  • The appellate court overturned the murder conviction after finding the trial was unfair.

Variants and Related Words

• Conviction (n.): The general act of finding a person guilty of a crime. "Murder conviction" is a subset of this.
• Murder (n.): The unlawful killing itself. The "murder conviction" is the legal judgment for this crime.
• Homicide conviction (n.): A broader legal term for a conviction of killing another person, which can include murder and manslaughter.

Synonyms

• Guilty verdict for murder
• Homicide conviction (in a broader sense)

Related Phrases

• "To face a murder conviction": To be at risk of being found guilty of murder in a court of law.
  • If the trial goes badly, he could face a murder conviction.
• "To have a murder conviction on one's record": To have been legally judged guilty of murder, which becomes a permanent part of one's criminal history.
  • Having a murder conviction on his record made it impossible to find a job.

Noun

1. conviction for murder