Definition of Felony murder doctrine
At common law, one whose conduct brought about an unintended death in the commission or attempted commission of a felony was guilty of murder {e.g. a homicide committed during an armed robbery). While some statesstill follow the common law rule, today the law of felony murder varies substantially throughout the country, largely as a result of efforts to limit the scope of the rule. Jurisdictions have limited the rule in one or more of the following ways: (1) by permitting its use only as to certain types of felonies; (2) by more strict interpretation of the requirement of proximate or legal cause; (3) by a narrower construction of the time period during which the felony is in the process of commission; (4) by requiring that the underlying felony be independent of the homicide. See e.g. Model Penal Code § 210.2.
That's the definition of Felony murder doctrine in Black's Law Dictionary 6th Edition. Courtesy of Cekhukum.com.
