Voluntary manslaughter, penalty - under influence of sudden passion, ...
Mo. Rev. Stat. § 565.023
in effect565.023. Voluntary manslaughter, penalty — under influence of sudden passion, defendant's burden to inject. — 1. A person commits the offense of voluntary manslaughter if he or she:
(1) Causes the death of another person under circumstances that would constitute murder in the second degree under subdivision (1) of subsection 1 of section 565.021 , except that he or she caused the death under the influence of sudden passion arising from adequate cause; or
(2) Knowingly assists another in the commission of self-murder.
2. The defendant shall have the burden of injecting the issue of influence of sudden passion arising from adequate cause under subdivision (1) of subsection 1 of this section.
3. The offense of voluntary manslaughter is a class B felony.
(L. 1983 S.B. 276, A.L. 1984 S.B. 448 § A, A.L. 2014 S.B. 491) Effective 1-01-17
Source: Open US Law by Vaquill AI (CC BY 4.0)URL: https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=565.023Fetched: 10/17/2026