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# Federal Murder Sentences in the District of Connecticut, FY2016–2025
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-murder-sentences-district-of-connecticut/
- Published: 2026-11-04T11:12:59.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-04T11:12:59.000Z
- Description: In fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 66 people were sentenced for murder offenses in the District of Connecticut. The median prison term was 228.5 months (19 years), and 9 people received a life sentence. Of the 66, 18 were convicted after a trial, a larger share than the district's overall trial rate.
- Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart
- Tags: Understanding Trends, Federal

[Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/) › [Federal Prosecution Analysis](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal/) › [Federal Sentences in the District of Connecticut, FY2016–202](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-district-of-connecticut/) › Murder: District of Connecticut

**In brief:** In fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 66 people were sentenced for murder offenses in the District of Connecticut. The median prison term was 228.5 months (19 years), and 9 people received a life sentence. Of the 66, 18 were convicted after a trial, a larger share than the district's overall trial rate.

Updated November 4, 2026 · Sources: U.S. Sentencing Commission and Federal Judicial Center, fiscal years 2016–2025

This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 66 people sentenced in federal court in fiscal years 2016 to 2025\. Acquittals and dismissals come from a second source, the Federal Judicial Center's records of 753,808 federal defendants whose cases ended in fiscal years 2016 to 2025\. It is part of the [Federal Prosecution Analysis](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal/) series, which builds on [Military Moves Toward Sentencing Guidelines to Mirror the Federal System](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/military-sentencing-guidelines-federal-system/). How the numbers were built: [How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-data-methodology/).

## Trials Were Common in Murder Cases

Of the 66 people, 48 (73%) pleaded guilty and 18 were convicted after a trial. In murder cases in all 94 districts, 78% pleaded guilty. For all offenses in the District of Connecticut, the guilty plea rate was 96%.

The median prison term after a guilty plea was 192 months. After a trial, it was 470 months, based on 18 people. Trial cases had longer median terms, but the records cannot show whether the trial itself changed the sentence.

Among the guilty pleas, 100% had a written plea agreement.

## Prison Terms and Life Sentences

All 66 people (100%) received a prison term. The median was 228.5 months. A quarter received 411 months or more, and a quarter received 120 months or less. In addition, 9 people received a life sentence.

The national median for murder was 240 months. The district-wide median for all offenses was 36 months. Prison terms are the terms imposed, not time served.

## The Guidelines Behind These Cases

"Murder" is the U.S. Sentencing Commission's offense type. The most common primary guideline was §2A1.1 (First Degree Murder), used for 51 people.

Others were §2A1.5 (Conspiracy or Solicitation to Commit Murder) for 8 people, §2A1.2 (Second Degree Murder) for 4, and §2X3.1 (Accessory After the Fact) for 3\. Murder cases were 2% of the 3,174 people sentenced in the district.

## Sentences and the Guideline Range

Sentences were within the guideline range for 30% of people (20). The national figure was 39%.

The largest group, 48% (32 people), was below the range at the government's request. Below the range without a government request were 20% (13 people). One person (2%) was above the range. A mandatory minimum applied to 20 people (30%).

## Supervision, Fines, and Restitution

After prison, 62 people (94%) were ordered to serve supervised release, with a median term of 54 months. A fine was ordered for 1 person (2%), and restitution for 14 (21%).

In criminal history, 26% were in the lowest category and 18% in the highest.

## Fiscal Year Counts

Yearly groups are very small. Fiscal years 2016 and 2019 each had 1 person, and fiscal year 2024 had 15\. From fiscal years 2016 to 2019, 15 people were sentenced. From fiscal years 2020 to 2025, 51 people were sentenced.

The median prison term was 120 months in fiscal year 2022 and 470 months in fiscal years 2019 and 2020\. With groups this small, the table does not show a trend.

| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
| ----------- | ---------------- | ------------- | -------------- |
| 2016        | 1                | 210 months    | 1 of 1         |
| 2017        | 6                | 214.5 months  | 5 of 6         |
| 2018        | 7                | 360 months    | 6 of 7         |
| 2019        | 1                | 470 months    | 0 of 1         |
| 2020        | 5                | 470 months    | 2 of 5         |
| 2021        | 1                | 192 months    | 1 of 1         |
| 2022        | 7                | 120 months    | 7 of 7         |
| 2023        | 9                | 168 months    | 8 of 9         |
| 2024        | 15               | 192 months    | 73%            |
| 2025        | 14               | 270 months    | 50%            |

## What the Data Does Not Cover

The data counts only people who were convicted and sentenced. Acquittals and dismissals are not in it.

The records do not describe the facts of any case. They also do not show why the sentences differed between guilty pleas and trials.

### How We Counted

Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of Connecticut (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Connecticut") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Murder" (66). Offense types are the Commission's OFFGUIDE categories.

Federal fiscal years run from October 1 to September 30\. No person, judge, or lawyer is identified in any of these records.

### What to Keep in Mind

**No parole in federal prison; credit for good conduct.** Federal prison has no parole for crimes committed on or after November 1, 1987\. A federal prisoner can earn up to 54 days of good conduct credit for each year of the sentence the judge imposed, which is about 15%. Some federal prisoners can also earn First Step Act time credits, but many offenses make a person ineligible. The numbers in this post are the sentences judges imposed, not the time people actually served.

**Federal supervised release.** Most federal prison sentences are followed by a term of supervised release that the judge sets as part of the sentence. A person who violates it can be sent back to prison. A court-martial cannot sentence anyone to supervision after release. Military parole and mandatory supervised release are decided later by a board, not by the judge at trial.

**Who decides the sentence, and under what rules.** Federal judges sentence every federal case. They must calculate the Sentencing Guidelines range, which is advisory, and must impose any mandatory minimum the statute requires unless an exception applies. In courts-martial, the accused could choose sentencing by members until the rules changed. For cases in which every guilty finding is for an offense committed after December 27, 2023, a military judge sentences alone, within sentencing parameters. Courts-martial tried in 2024 and later include both old-rule and new-rule cases, and the data cannot tell them apart.

**Time periods.** Federal numbers are by federal fiscal year (October 1 to September 30), based on the sentencing date. The military numbers are by trial date. Neither source has the date of the offense, so a change in law shows up in either data set gradually.

**How life sentences and "time served" are counted.** In the federal numbers, a life sentence is counted as 470 months, and any other sentence longer than 470 months is counted as just under 470 months. A sentence of "time served" is counted as one day (0.03 months). Averages are affected by these rules; medians much less.

**Mandatory minimum sentences.** Many federal statutes on drugs, images of child exploitation, child sex abuse, and firearms carry mandatory minimum prison terms. The UCMJ has mandatory minimums only for a few offenses (a dishonorable discharge or dismissal for rape and sexual assault, and life for premeditated murder). Federal sentences for these offenses are partly set by Congress, not by the judge.

## Related Analysis

- [Military Moves Toward Sentencing Guidelines to Mirror the Federal System](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/military-sentencing-guidelines-federal-system/) (the background article)
- [Federal Prosecution Analysis](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal/) (all federal posts)
- [How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-data-methodology/) (sources and method)
- [Federal Sentences in the District of Connecticut, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-district-of-connecticut/) (overview)
- [Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the District of Connecticut, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-drug-trafficking-sentences-district-of-connecticut/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Firearms Sentences in the District of Connecticut, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-firearms-sentences-district-of-connecticut/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the District of Connecticut, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-fraud-theft-embezzlement-sentences-district-of-connecticut/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Robbery Sentences in the District of Connecticut, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-robbery-sentences-district-of-connecticut/) (same district, other offense type)
- [U.S. Sentencing Commission, Individual Offender Datafiles](https://www.ussc.gov/research/datafiles/commission-datafiles?ref=bodiesburied.com) (source)
- [Federal Judicial Center, Integrated Database (criminal defendants)](https://www.fjc.gov/research/idb?ref=bodiesburied.com) (source)

**About the author.** Jocelyn C. Stewart is a retired Army JAG with more than 24 years of trying courts-martial and more than 200 jury trials. She hosts *Where All The Bodies Are Buried* and runs the [Law Office of Jocelyn C. Stewart](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/?ref=bodiesburied.com). This analysis is for education and information only. It is not legal advice, and every case is different.