To understand the Colorado Criminal Code and more specifically the charge or charges in the Complaint and Information or Grand Jury Indictment against you – you need TWO things.
I. You Will Need To Understand The Actual Statutory Crime With Which You Have Been Charged
– The statute, as of 2016, appears first on this page.
II. You Will Also Need To Understand How The Jury Or Judge Reads The Elements – ( a jury instruction “breakout” of the necessary parts or list of things that make up the crime)
– The Jury Instruction for this crime appears after a reprint of the statute defining the crime.
Any person who causes the death of another person by conduct amounting to criminal negligence commits criminally negligent homicide which is a class 5 felony.
The elements of the crime of criminally negligent homicide are:
1. That the defendant,
2. in the State of Colorado, at or about the date and place charged,
3. caused the death of another person,
4. by conduct amounting to criminal negligence.
[5. and that the defendant’s conduct was not legally authorized by the affirmative defense[s] in Instruction[s] ___.]
To Enlarge The Colorado Felony Sentencing Chart – Click on the Chart until it opens.