The Criminal Code distinguishes between simple homicide, provided for by Article 188, and aggravated homicide, provided for by Article 189. The difference depends on the circumstances in which the act was committed and can substantially change the limits of punishment. The classification is determined based on the evidence, the form of guilt, and all concrete circumstances.

Simple murder: Art. 188 of the Criminal Code

Article 188 criminalizes the killing of a person and provides for imprisonment from 10 to 20 years and the prohibition of exercising certain rights. Being an intentional crime, the direct or indirect intent to suppress life must be proven. If the death occurred through fault, the analysis starts from Article 192 of the Criminal Code, not from Article 188; the delimitation depends on the evidence regarding the conduct and the representation of the result.

Qualified homicide: the circumstances provided for in Article 189

Murder is qualified if it was committed in at least one of the circumstances listed limitatively by Article 189, paragraph (1). In the form of the law in force on October 31, 2026, these include:

  • premeditation, material interest, evasion of responsibility, or the execution of a punishment, or the facilitation or concealment of another crime;
  • the fact that the author previously committed a homicide or attempted homicide, as well as the act against two or more persons or against a pregnant woman;
  • the commission of the crime through cruelty or taking advantage of the apparent vulnerability of the victim;
  • the killing in the exercise of control or domination over a person with whom the perpetrator is or has been in a marital or similar relationship;
  • the reasons listed by law, including race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability or illness, as well as the act related to the victim’s refusal to start or continue a relationship or to separate.

The last three relationship circumstances, motive and refusal/separation were introduced by Law no. 53/2026, in force since April 26, 2026. The complete list and wording can be found in the updated text of the Criminal Code.

Punishment and the attempt

Qualified murder is punishable by life imprisonment or imprisonment from 15 to 25 years and the prohibition of exercising certain rights. Attempted murder, both simple and qualified, is punishable. The court determines the penalty within the legal limits and individualizes it based on the criteria set out in the Criminal Code; the existence of an accusation or of a circumstance invoked does not replace the evaluation of the evidence.

A separate rule, applicable from April 26, 2026, provides for a one-quarter increase in the special limits when a major offender commits, in the presence of a minor, one of the offenses indicated in Article 195.1 Paragraph (2), including the facts set out in Articles 188 and 189. Its application involves verifying the legal conditions in the specific case.

What needs to be proven in practice

Premeditation, cruelty, or exploitation of vulnerability do not automatically derive from the passage of a period of time, the number of injuries, or merely the victim’s age or illness. What matters are the concrete elements that correspond to the legal circumstances and the evidence that supports them. Similarly, a motive such as material interest must be determined in relation to the act, not merely assumed because the perpetrator could have obtained an advantage.

For a legal analysis, the medico-legal report, the sequence of events, the means used, previous and subsequent communications, the relationship between the involved persons, and the conclusions of the expert reports are relevant. The legal framework may evolve as evidence is gathered. In a specific case, it is important to verify the form of the law applicable at the time of the act and the rules regarding the more favorable criminal law.

Official sources: Criminal Code, Articles 188–189 and 1951; Law no. 53/2026.