> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.bodiesburied.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# Federal Murder Sentences in the Southern District of New York, FY2016–2025
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-murder-sentences-southern-district-of-new-york/
- Published: 2026-11-04T10:31:43.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-04T10:31:43.000Z
- Description: 387 people were sentenced for murder offenses in the Southern District of New York in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. All 387 received a prison term, and the median was 180 months (15 years), compared with 240 months across all 94 federal districts. 84% pleaded guilty here, and 78% did across all distric
- 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 Southern District of New York, FY20](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-southern-district-of-new-york/) › Murder: Southern District of New York

**In brief:** 387 people were sentenced for murder offenses in the Southern District of New York in fiscal years 2016 to 2025\. All 387 received a prison term, and the median was 180 months (15 years), compared with 240 months across all 94 federal districts. 84% pleaded guilty here, and 78% did across all districts.

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 387 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/).

## Prison Terms and Life Sentences

All 387 people (100%) received a prison term. The median was 180 months (15 years). A quarter received 309 months or more, and a quarter received 72 months or less. 36 people received a life sentence.

The median across all 94 districts was 240 months. For all offenses in this district, the median was 33 months. Prison terms are those imposed, not time served.

## Guilty Pleas Were Common

327 of the 387 people (84%) pleaded guilty, and 60 were convicted after a trial. Across all 94 districts, 78% pleaded guilty. For all offenses in this district, the rate was 95%.

The median prison term after a guilty plea was 144 months. After a trial it was 470 months, based on 60 people. The records do not show why the trial median is higher, and the cases in each group may differ in many ways.

Among the guilty pleas, 59% had a written plea agreement and 40% were straight pleas with no agreement.

## Below-Range Sentences at the Government's Request

Of 386 people with the information, 41% (157) were below the guideline range at the government's request. 31% (119) were below it without a government request, and 27% (104) were within the range. 2% (6) were above it.

Across all 94 districts, 39% of murder sentences were within the range. For all offenses in this district, the share was 22%.

## Mandatory Minimums

A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 236 of the 387 people with that information recorded (61%). A mandatory minimum is a floor set by statute.

The primary guideline for most people was §2A1.1 (First Degree Murder), with 332 people. Next were §2A1.2 (Second Degree Murder) with 24 people, §2A1.5 (Conspiracy or Solicitation to Commit Murder) with 22 people, and §2X3.1 (Accessory After the Fact) with 9 people. "Murder" is the U.S. Sentencing Commission's offense type for this group, and these cases were 3% of the 12,035 people sentenced in the district.

## Yearly Counts and Medians

Yearly counts in the table range from 26 people in fiscal year 2025 to 58 people in fiscal year 2022\. Medians range from 84 months in fiscal year 2020 to 244 months in fiscal year 2017.

The plea rate by year ranged from 68% in fiscal year 2021 to 95% in fiscal year 2022\. The records show these numbers but not what accounts for the changes. Fiscal years run from October 1 through the end of September.

| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
| ----------- | ---------------- | ------------- | -------------- |
| 2016        | 48               | 121.5 months  | 94%            |
| 2017        | 37               | 244 months    | 81%            |
| 2018        | 43               | 216 months    | 77%            |
| 2019        | 47               | 219 months    | 79%            |
| 2020        | 39               | 84 months     | 85%            |
| 2021        | 28               | 192 months    | 68%            |
| 2022        | 58               | 231 months    | 95%            |
| 2023        | 29               | 240 months    | 79%            |
| 2024        | 32               | 210 months    | 91%            |
| 2025        | 26               | 240 months    | 88%            |

## After Prison

377 people (97%) were ordered to serve supervised release after prison, with a median term of 60 months. 2 people (less than 1%) received supervised release for life.

A fine was ordered for 3 people (less than 1%), and restitution for 44 people (11%). On criminal history, 38% were in the lowest category (Category I) and 16% were in the highest (VI). Court-martial records have no criminal history field.

## What the Data Leaves Out

The Commission's data counts only people who were convicted and sentenced. Acquittals and dismissals are not included.

The records do not describe the facts of any case, and they cannot show what led to a particular sentence.

### How We Counted

Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Southern District of New York (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "New York South") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Murder" (387). 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 Southern District of New York, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-southern-district-of-new-york/) (overview)
- [Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Southern District of New York, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-drug-trafficking-sentences-southern-district-of-new-york/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Southern District of New York, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-fraud-theft-embezzlement-sentences-southern-district-of-new-york/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Firearms Sentences in the Southern District of New York, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-firearms-sentences-southern-district-of-new-york/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Robbery Sentences in the Southern District of New York, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-robbery-sentences-southern-district-of-new-york/) (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.