In certain circumstances, murder becomes a federal crime.
Under the Constitution, criminal law is mostly handled by individual states. If you are accused of
murder committed in California, you will most likely be charged and tried under California’s laws. However, there are many circumstances in which killing someone can also break a federal law. In those instances, you can be tried in federal court.
These cases usually involve killings that are related to the following:
- Drug trafficking
- Crossing state borders
- Occur on a body of water
- Are considered an attack on the U.S. government or judicial system