Federal Murder Sentences in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, FY2016–2025
All 36 people sentenced for murder offenses in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania received a prison term. The median was 279 months (23.2 years), and 9 received a life sentence. For this offense type in all 94 federal districts, the median prison term was 240 months.
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In brief: All 36 people sentenced for murder offenses in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania received a prison term. The median was 279 months (23.2 years), and 9 received a life sentence. For this offense type in all 94 federal districts, the median prison term was 240 months.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 36 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 series, which builds on Military Moves Toward Sentencing Guidelines to Mirror the Federal System. How the numbers were built: How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built.
Prison Terms and Life Sentences
The district sentenced 36 people for murder offenses, and all 36 (100%) received a prison term. The median prison term was 279 months, or 23.2 years. 9 people received a life sentence.
A quarter of those sent to prison received 163.5 months or less, and a quarter received 470 months or more. In all districts, 3,754 people were sentenced in this offense type and the median was 240 months. For all offenses in this district, the median was 42 months.
Pleas, Trials, and a Wide Gap in Medians
27 people (75%) pleaded guilty, and 9 were convicted after a trial. The median prison term after a guilty plea was 180 months. After a trial it was 470 months, based on 9 people.
Among the guilty pleas, 93% had a written plea agreement and 7% were straight pleas with no agreement. In all districts, 78% pleaded guilty, and for all offenses in this district, 94% did.
These are medians for groups of cases. The records cannot show whether the trial or the facts of the cases explain the gap.
How the Commission Labels Murder Cases
"Murder" is an offense type used by the U.S. Sentencing Commission, assigned from each case's primary guideline. 33 cases used §2A1.1 (First Degree Murder), and 2 used §2A1.5 (Conspiracy or Solicitation to Commit Murder).
The remaining case used §2X1.1 (Attempt, Solicitation, or Conspiracy (Not Covered by a Specific Offense Guideline)). The data for this offense type in this district covers fiscal years 2018 to 2025.
Mandatory Minimums and the Guideline Range
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 19 of the 36 people (53%). It is a statutory sentence floor.
The guideline range is the sentence range calculated under the Sentencing Guidelines. 36% of sentences (13) were within it. 58% (21) were below it at the government's request, and 6% (2) were below it without a government request. None was above the range.
In all districts, 39% of sentences for this offense type were within the range. For all offenses in this district, 34% were.
After Prison and Criminal History
35 people (97%) were ordered to serve supervised release after prison, with a median term of 60 months. A fine was ordered for 7 (19%), and restitution for 12 (33%).
36% were in the lowest criminal history category, category I, and 11% were in the highest, category VI. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Counts by Fiscal Year
Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 had 3 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 had 33. The table shows 18 people in 2023 and 7 in 2024. The other years have 5 or fewer.
The yearly medians range from 171 months in 2023 to 470 months in 2018, 2020, and 2025. With so few cases in most years, the records cannot show a trend.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 3 | 470 months | 1 of 3 |
| 2020 | 1 | 470 months | 0 of 1 |
| 2022 | 2 | 222.5 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2023 | 18 | 171 months | 100% |
| 2024 | 7 | 460 months | 4 of 7 |
| 2025 | 5 | 470 months | 2 of 5 |
What Cannot Be Learned From These Records
Murder cases were less than 1% of the 5,462 people sentenced in the district. Only people who were convicted and sentenced are counted, so acquittals and dismissals are not in the data. Prison terms are the terms imposed, not time served.
The records do not describe the facts of any case.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Penn. East") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Murder" (36). 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 (the background article)
- Federal Prosecution Analysis (all federal posts)
- How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built (sources and method)
- Federal Sentences in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- U.S. Sentencing Commission, Individual Offender Datafiles (source)
- Federal Judicial Center, Integrated Database (criminal defendants) (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. This analysis is for education and information only. It is not legal advice, and every case is different.