The Criminal Division of the Supreme Court of Justice Reaffirms That Attempted Murder Is a Punishable Crime 

The Criminal Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice (SCJ) holds that attempted crime is punishable regardless of any contingent cause that prevents the act from being carried out, and is therefore punishable, as established in its ruling No. SCJ-SS-23-1013, dated September 29, 2023. 

The aforementioned ruling highlights Article 2 of the Dominican Penal Code, pursuant to which any attempt to commit a crime may be considered the crime itself when it is accompanied by the beginning of its execution, or when the perpetrator, despite having done everything in their power to carry it out, fails to achieve their purpose for reasons beyond their control, with these circumstances being subject to the judges’ discretion. 

“In the case at hand, the defendant was charged with attempted murder, a legal classification that corresponds perfectly with the proven facts, and the fact is that, if we examine the violent context of the factual record, it demonstrates the existence of a genuine intent to take the victim’s life, given that the evidence highlights the 15 stab wounds inflicted, which caused serious injuries, and had it not been for the swift intervention of the victim’s brother and his wife, the defendant would have taken the victim’s life,” the ruling states. 

The judges found that all these elements constitute an attempt to commit a crime, namely: the initial stage of execution, the contingent cause, and intent. 

The full text of the ruling issued by Judges Francisco Antonio Jerez Mena (presiding), Nancy I. Salcedo Fernández, Fran Euclides Soto Sánchez, María G. Garabito Ramírez, and Francisco Antonio Ortega Polanco can be found at the following link https://poderjudicial.gob.do/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/SCJ-SS-23-1013.pdf