capital offense
Death-penalty eligible crime
A capital offense is a crime punishable by death—murder, treason, espionage, or in some jurisdictions, crimes like kidnapping or drug trafficking.
The term comes from the Latin for head, referring to the ancient practice of execution by beheading.
First-degree murder is a capital offense in states that retain the death penalty.
Serious criminal offense
- indictmentFormal charge from jury
- arraignmentCharge-reading court session
- prosecutionPursuing legal charges
- defendantParty facing charges
conviction · sentencing · trial · verdict · guilty · jurisdiction · aggravating factors · premeditation
Completing a planned task
- death penaltyLegal execution for crimes
- lethal injectionCapital punishment by needle
- death rowHousing for condemned prisoners
- electric chairElectrocution execution device
gallows · firing squad · gas chamber · guillotine · hanging · beheading · stoning · last meal
Merciful treatment of offenders
- pardonOfficial release from punishment
- commutationSubstitution of penalties
- stay of executionTemporary halt to punishment
- exonerationOfficial clearing of blame
innocence project · appeal · habeas corpus · reprieve · death row inmate · wrongful conviction · DNA evidence · retrial
Odiously, shockingly evil
- atrociousAppallingly, shockingly wicked
- unforgivableCannot be pardoned
- irredeemableImpossible to reform
- egregiousConspicuously awful
grave · unconscionable · reprehensible · monstrous · abhorrent · inexcusable · mortal sin · grievous
felony
Serious criminal offense
- indictmentFormal charge from jury
- arraignmentCharge-reading court session
- prosecutionPursuing legal charges
defendant · conviction · sentencing · trial · verdict · guilty · jurisdiction · aggravating factors · premeditation · first-degree murder
execution
Completing a planned task
- death penaltyLegal execution for crimes
- lethal injectionCapital punishment by needle
- death rowHousing for condemned prisoners
electric chair · gallows · firing squad · gas chamber · guillotine · hanging · beheading · stoning · last meal · death sentence
clemency
Merciful treatment of offenders
- pardonOfficial release from punishment
- commutationSubstitution of penalties
- stay of executionTemporary halt to punishment
exoneration · innocence project · appeal · habeas corpus · reprieve · death row inmate · wrongful conviction · DNA evidence · retrial · governor
heinous
Odiously, shockingly evil
- atrociousAppallingly, shockingly wicked
- unforgivableCannot be pardoned
- irredeemableImpossible to reform
egregious · grave · unconscionable · reprehensible · monstrous · abhorrent · inexcusable · mortal sin · grievous · damnable
- executionexecution, lethal injection, firing squad, gas chamber, electric chair
- crimesarson, burglary, robbery, kidnapping, vandalism
capital offensemisdemeanor
Lesser criminal charge
petty offense · minor offense · infraction · petty crime · violation
capital, offense, capitals, capitalism, capitalist, capitalize, capitalization, decapitate, decapitation