§ 14:31 — Manslaughter

Louisiana § 14:31

• Jurisdiction: Louisiana
• Title 14: Criminal Law

Text

§31. Manslaughter
A. Manslaughter is:
(1) A homicide which would be murder under either Article 30 (first degree murder)
or Article 30.1 (second degree murder), but the offense is committed in sudden passion or
heat of blood immediately caused by provocation sufficient to deprive an average person of
his self-control and cool reflection. Provocation shall not reduce a homicide to manslaughter
if the jury finds that the offender's blood had actually cooled, or that an average person's
blood would have cooled, at the time the offense was committed; or
(2) A homicide committed, without any intent to cause death or great bodily harm.
(a) When the offender is engaged in the perpetration or attempted perpetration of any
felony not enumerated in Article 30 or 30.1, or of any intentional misdemeanor directly
affecting the person; or
(b) When the offender is resisting lawful arrest by means, or in a manner, not
inherently dangerous, and the circumstances are such that the killing would not be murder
under Article 30 or 30.1.
(3) When the offender commits or attempts to commit any crime of violence as
defined by R.S. 14:2(B), which is part of a continuous sequence of events resulting in the
death of a human being where it was foreseeable that the offender's conduct during the
commission of the crime could result in death or great bodily harm to a human being, even
if the offender has no intent to kill or to inflict great bodily harm. For purposes of this
Paragraph, it shall be immaterial whether or not the person who performed the direct act
resulting in the death was acting in concert with the offender.
(4) When the offender unlawfully distributes or dispenses a controlled dangerous
substance listed in Schedules I through V of the Uniform Controlled Dangerous Substances
Law, or any combination thereof, which significantly contributes to the death of the recipient
who ingested or consumed the controlled dangerous substance.
(5) When the offender unlawfully distributes or dispenses a controlled dangerous
substance listed in Schedules I through V of the Uniform Controlled Dangerous Substances
Law, or any combination thereof, to another who subsequently distributes or dispenses such
controlled dangerous substance which significantly contributes to the death of the person
who ingested or consumed the controlled dangerous substance.
B. Whoever commits manslaughter shall be imprisoned at hard labor for not more
than forty years. However, if the victim killed was under the age of ten years, the offender
shall be imprisoned at hard labor, without benefit of probation or suspension of sentence, for
not less than ten years nor more than forty years.

Legislative History

Amended by Acts 1973, No. 127, §1; Acts 1991, No. 864, §1; Acts 1992, No. 306, §1; Acts 1994, 3rd Ex. Sess., No. 115, §1; Acts 2008, No. 10, §1; Acts 2020, No. 105, §1; Acts 2025, No. 169, §1, eff. June 8, 2025.