45-5-103. Mitigated deliberate homicide. (1) A person commits the offense of mitigated deliberate homicide when the person purposely or knowingly causes the death of another human being but does so under the influence of extreme mental or emotional stress for which there is reasonable explanation or excuse. The reasonableness of the explanation or excuse must be determined from the viewpoint of a reasonable person in the actor's situation.
     (2) It is an affirmative defense that the defendant acted under the influence of extreme mental or emotional stress as provided in subsection (1). This defense constitutes a mitigating circumstance reducing deliberate homicide to mitigated deliberate homicide and must be proved by the defendant by a preponderance of the evidence.
     (3) Mitigated deliberate homicide is not an included offense of deliberate homicide as defined in 45-5-102(1)(b).
     (4) A person convicted of mitigated deliberate homicide shall be imprisoned in the state prison for a term of not less than 2 years or more than 40 years and may be fined not more than $50,000, except as provided in 46-18-219 and 46-18-222.

     History: En. 94-5-103 by Sec. 1, Ch. 513, L. 1973; amd. Sec. 5, Ch. 584, L. 1977; R.C.M. 1947, 94-5-103; amd. Sec. 7, Ch. 198, L. 1981; amd. Sec. 5, Ch. 610, L. 1987; amd. Sec. 3, Ch. 482, L. 1995.