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Del. Mike McDermott Urges Doubling Sentence for Aiding a Murder

msa.maryland.gov

A measure sponsored by Delegate Mike McDermott would double the sentences of those who convicted of aiding a murder after the fact.

Under the legislation it would rise from 5 years to 10 years in either first or second degree murder convictions.

The Salisbury Daily Times reports that the former County Sheriff’s deputy named the measure the Sheddy-Bennett Act after two Lower Shore homicide victims

An individual must have knowledge of a completed crime.

The Worcester County Republican told a Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee hearing that the punishment has to fit the crime.

The legislation must go to the full Senate for a vote.

Meanwhile, the measure was passed by the House of Delegates earlier this March after the maximum penalty of 20 years for first-degree murder accessory was reduced to 10 years.

 

Don Rush is the News Director at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.