Crimes of Moral Turpitude

Murder has been held to involve moral turpitude.[63]

Asencio v. INS, 37 F.3d 614 (11th Cir. 1994) (attempted murder);

Rodriguez-Padron v. INS, 13 F.3d 1455 (11th Cir. 1994) (second-degree murder);

Cabral v. INS, 15 F.3d 193 (1st Cir. 1994) (accessory after the fact to murder);

De Lucia v. Flagg, 297 F.2d 58 (7th Cir. 1961);

Fong Haw Tan v. Phelan, 162 F.2d 663 (9th Cir. 1947), rev’d on other grounds, 333 U.S. 6 (1948);

Pillisz v. Smith, 46 F.2d 769 (7th Cir. 1931) (Hungarian manslaughter conviction as a result of an attack with a knife held CMT, although in Hungary, degrees of manslaughter are not recognized);

Allessio v. Day, 42 F.2d 217 (2d Cir. 1930);

Matter of Reyes, 20 I. & N. Dec. 789 (BIA 1994) (a noncitizen convicted of murder, regardless of the date of offense, is forever precluded from establishing Good Moral Character, citing INA § 101(f)(8), 8 U.S.C. § 1101(f)(8), 8 C.F.R. § 316.10 (b));

Matter of Lopez-Amaro, 20 I. & N. Dec. 668 (BIA 1993);

Matter of Patacki, 15 I. & N. Dec. 324 (BIA 1975) (charging paper charged the killing was committed willfully and with deliberation);

Matter of Awaijane, 14 I. & N. Dec. 117 (BIA 1972) (Lebanon conviction of attempted murder).

Homicide

Matter of Szgedi, 10 I. & N. Dec. 28 (BIA 1962) (conviction of “homicide by reckless conduct” in violation of § 940.06, Wisconsin Statutes, which requires “gross negligence,” is not a crime involving moral turpitude).

Voluntary homicide

De Lucia v. Flagg, 297 F.2d 58 (7th Cir. 1961), cert. den., 369 U.S. 837, 82 S.Ct. 867, 7 L.Ed.2d 843 (1962) (Italian conviction of voluntary homicide held a crime of moral turpitude, since as long as homicide is voluntary and not justifiable no amount of provocation can remove it from class of crimes involving moral turpitude).

[63] 9 U.S. Dep’t of State, Foreign Affairs Manual (FAM) § 40.21(a) N.2.3-3(a)(12).