The US federal government lists 41 capital offenses that are punishable by death. See the full list below.
The capital offenses include espionage, treason, and death resulting from aircraft hijacking. However, they mostly consist of various forms of murder such as murder committed during a drug-related drive-by shooting, murder during a kidnapping, murder for hire, and genocide.
| Code | Type of Crime | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | 8 USC 1324 | Murder related to the smuggling of aliens |
| 2. | 18 USC. 32 18 USC. 33 18 USC. 34 | Destruction of aircraft, motor vehicles, or related facilities resulting in death |
| 3.. | 18 USC. 36 | Murder committed during a drug-related drive-by shooting |
| 4. | 18 USC 37 | Murder committed at an airport serving international civil aviation |
| 5. | 18 USC 115 [by cross-reference to 18 USC 1111] | Retaliatory murder of a member of the immediate family of law enforcement officials |
| 6. | 18 USC 241 18 USC 242 18 USC 245 18 USC 247 | Civil rights offenses resulting in death |
| 7. | 18 USC 351 [by cross-reference to 18 USC 1111] | Murder of a member of Congress, an important executive official, or a Supreme Court Justice |
| 8. | 18 USC 794 | Espionage |
| 9. | 18 USC 844 | Death resulting from offenses involving transportation of explosives, destruction of government property, or destruction of property related to foreign or interstate commerce |
| 10. | 18 USC 924 | Murder committed by the use of a firearm during a crime of violence or a drug-trafficking crime |
| 11. | 18 USC 930 [by cross-reference to 18 USC 1111] | Murder committed in a federal government facility |
| 12. | 18 USC 1091 | Genocide |
| 13. | 18 USC 1111 | First-degree murder |
| 14. | 18 USC 1114 [by cross-reference to 18 USC 1111] | Murder of a federal judge or law enforcement official |
| 15. | 18 USC 1116 [by cross-reference to 18 USC 1111] | Murder of a foreign official |
| 16. | 18 USC 1118 | Murder by a federal prisoner |
| 17. | 18 USC 1119 [by cross-reference to 18 USC 1111] | Murder of a US national in a foreign country |
| 18. | 18 USC 1120 [by cross-reference to 18 USC 1111] | Murder by an escaped federal prisoner already sentenced to life imprisonment |
| 19. | 18 USC 1121 [by cross-reference to 18 USC 1111] | Murder of a state or local law enforcement official or other person aiding in a federal investigation; murder of a State correctional officer |
| 20. | 18 USC 1201 | Murder during a kidnapping |
| 21. | 18 USC 1203 | Murder during a hostage taking |
| 22. | 18 USC 1503 [by cross-reference to 18 USC 1111] | Murder of a court officer or juror |
| 23. | 18 USC 1512 [by cross-reference to 18 USC 1111] | Murder with the intent of preventing testimony by a witness, victim, or informant |
| 24. | 18 USC 1513 [by cross-reference to 18 USC 1111] | Retaliatory murder of a witness, victim, or informant |
| 25. | 18 USC 1716 | Mailing of injurious articles with intent to kill or resulting in death |
| 26. | 18 USC 1751 [by cross-reference to 18 USC 1111] | Assassination or kidnapping resulting in the death of the President or Vice President |
| 27. | 18 USC 1958 | Murder for hire |
| 28. | 18 USC 1959 | Murder involved in a racketeering offense |
| 29. | 18 USC 1992 | Willful wrecking of a train resulting in death |
| 30. | 18 USC 2113 | Bank-robbery-related murder or kidnapping |
| 31. | 18 USC 2119 | Murder related to a carjacking |
| 32. | 18 USC 2245 | Murder related to rape or child molestation |
| 33. | 18 USC 2251 | Murder related to sexual exploitation of children |
| 34. | 18 USC 2280 | Murder committed during an offense against maritime navigation |
| 35. | 18 USC 2281 | Murder committed during an offense against a maritime fixed platform |
| 36. | 18 USC 2332 | Terrorist murder of a US national in another country |
| 37. | 18 USC 2332a | Murder by the use of a weapon of mass destruction |
| 38. | 18 USC 2340a | Murder involving torture |
| 39. | 18 USC 2381 | Treason |
| 40. | 21 USC 848 (Anti Drug Abuse Act) | Murder related to a continuing criminal enterprise or related murder of a Federal, State, or local law enforcement officer |
| 41. | 49 USC 46502 | Death resulting from aircraft hijacking |
Source:
Bureau of Justice Statistics, “Capital Punishment, 2010 – Statistical Tables,” bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov (accessed Aug. 21, 2012)
