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# Murder: Federal Sentences vs. Army Courts-Martial
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-murder-vs-army/
- Published: 2026-11-03T01:39:18.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-03T01:39:18.000Z
- Description: The Army had 14 courts-martial that ended in a murder conviction under Article 118, with trial dates from 2020 to 2025. All 14 included confinement, and the median was 215.9 months (18 years). In federal court, the median prison term for 3,243 people sentenced for murder in fiscal years 2016 to 2025
- Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart
- Tags: Understanding Trends, Federal

[Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/) › [Federal Prosecution Analysis](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal/) › [Murder and Manslaughter](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-murder-manslaughter-vs-courts-martial/) › Murder: Army

**In brief:** The Army had 14 courts-martial that ended in a murder conviction under Article 118, with trial dates from 2020 to 2025\. All 14 included confinement, and the median was 215.9 months (18 years). In federal court, the median prison term for 3,243 people sentenced for murder in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 was 292 months (24.3 years). The Army median is lower than the federal median.

Updated November 2, 2026 · Sources: U.S. Sentencing Commission and Federal Judicial Center, fiscal years 2016–2025 · Military Trial Results

This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 3,243 people sentenced in federal court in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, compared with court-martial results from this site's Military Trial Results data (updated November 2, 2026). 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/).

## Army Sentences in Murder Convictions

All 14 Army convictions were at a general court-martial, and all 14 had a sentence that included confinement (100%). A quarter of the sentences were 418.7 months or more, and 3 were confinement for life.

Of the 14 enlisted members convicted, 11 received a punitive discharge (79%). That was 10 dishonorable discharges and 1 bad-conduct discharge.

|                                    | Army courts-martial                 | Federal court, FY2016–FY2025 |
| ---------------------------------- | ----------------------------------- | ---------------------------- |
| Convictions or people sentenced    | 14                                  | 3,243                        |
| Sentenced to confinement or prison | 100%                                | more than 99%                |
| Median confinement or prison       | 215.9 months                        | 292 months                   |
| A quarter received this or more    | 418.7 months                        | 470 months                   |
| Pleaded guilty                     | 10 of 13 with a plea recorded (77%) | 77%                          |
| Mandatory minimum applied          | See the caveats                     | 44%                          |

## Army Guilty Pleas and Contested Cases

A plea was recorded for 13 of the 14 convictions, and 10 were guilty pleas (77%). The median confinement after a guilty plea was 263.8 months, based on 8 cases.

Contested cases that ended in conviction had a median of 261.3 months, but that figure rests on only 2 cases. The Army records give no firm basis for comparing pleas with contested cases.

## How Federal Murder Sentences Are Distributed

The federal side comes from Sentencing Commission files on murder sentences under §2A1.1 (first degree) and §2A1.2 (second degree). Nearly everyone sentenced, 3,239 of 3,243, went to prison, and 683 received life.

The upper quarter of prison terms began at 470 months, and the lower quarter ended at 180 months. A mandatory minimum applied to 1,434 people (44%), a field the Army records lack.

## Federal Pleas and Trials

Federal guilty pleas numbered 2,482 (77%), and 761 people were convicted after a trial. The Army share among cases with a plea recorded was also 77%.

Federal median prison terms were 240 months after a guilty plea and 470 months after a trial. Among federal guilty pleas, 91% had a written plea agreement.

## The Army Next to the Other Services

The Air Force median was 287.8 months for 10 convictions. The Navy median was 95.9 months for 12, and the Marine Corps median was 56.5 months for 4\. The Army had the most murder convictions of the 4 services.

Each service has 14 or fewer convictions, so a few cases can move a median a long way.

| Service      | Convictions, 2016–2025 | With confinement | Median confinement | Punitive discharge (enlisted) | Guilty pleas (where recorded) |
| ------------ | ---------------------- | ---------------- | ------------------ | ----------------------------- | ----------------------------- |
| Army         | 14                     | 100%             | 215.9 months       | 79%                           | 77%                           |
| Air Force    | 10                     | 100%             | 287.8 months       | 100%                          | 2 of 6                        |
| Navy         | 12                     | 92%              | 95.9 months        | 70%                           | 50%                           |
| Marine Corps | 4                      | 3 of 4           | 56.5 months        | 3 of 3                        | 1 of 3                        |

## Where the Sentences Fell Against the Federal Guidelines

The guideline range was known for 3,241 federal sentences. Within it were 1,304 (40%). Below it at the government's request were 1,366 (42%), below it with no such request 411 (13%), and above it 160 (5%).

Courts-martial do not use this range, so the Army records have no matching measure.

## What the Records Cannot Show

The Army count starts in 2020 in this data, while the federal count covers fiscal years 2016 to 2025\. The Army period is shorter. Army sentences are as adjudged at trial, before clemency or appeal, and federal terms are those imposed, not time served.

The records do not show the facts of any case, the charge decisions, or the terms of any plea agreement. A group of 14 convictions is a small base for any conclusion.

### How We Counted

Army courts-martial with trial dates in 2016 to 2025 ending in a conviction for murder (Article 118) (14). Federal: 3,243 people sentenced under guideline §2A1.1 (first degree murder) or §2A1.2 (second degree murder), fiscal years 2016 to 2025 (U.S. Sentencing Commission).

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

**Who is in each set of numbers.** The federal sentencing numbers come from the U.S. Sentencing Commission. They count only people who were convicted and sentenced in federal district court. People whose cases were dismissed or who were acquitted are not in them. The military numbers come from court-martial results, which include acquittals. To compare acquittal or dismissal rates, the federal side uses a different source: the Federal Judicial Center's case data, which counts every defendant whose case ended.

**Different cases reach each system.** Federal prosecutors bring a narrow set of cases. In fiscal year 2024, immigration and drug trafficking cases were 59% of everyone sentenced in federal court (36,664 of 61,678). Many crimes that the military prosecutes, such as most assaults, most sexual assaults between adults, and drug use, are usually state crimes for civilians and reach federal court only in special situations, such as on federal land or in Indian Country. A federal case and a court-martial for the same crime can involve different kinds of facts.

**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.

**Offense categories do not line up exactly.** Each comparison uses a federal offense group chosen to match the military article as closely as possible (see the crosswalk). Some matches are close; others are partial. The post says which federal guideline or statute was used and why it is not an exact match.

**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.

**Military confinement credit and parole.** For military sentences adjudged after 2004, good conduct time is 5 days for each month of confinement, about 16%. Military prisoners can also earn up to 8 more days a month for work and programs and up to 2 days a month for special acts, with a limit of 15 days a month in total. Military prisoners can be considered for parole by their service's clemency and parole board. The military numbers in this post are the confinement adjudged at trial, not the time served.

**Military sentences include punishments federal sentences do not.** A court-martial sentence can include a punitive discharge (bad-conduct discharge, dishonorable discharge, or dismissal for officers), reduction in rank, and forfeiture of pay. These have no federal counterpart. A comparison of months of confinement leaves them out. A short confinement term combined with a dishonorable discharge is a heavier sentence than the months alone show.

**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.

**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.

## 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)
- [Murder and Manslaughter: Federal vs. Court-Martial Sentences, 2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-murder-manslaughter-vs-courts-martial/) (overview)
- [Murder: Federal Sentences vs. Air Force Courts-Martial](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-murder-vs-air-force/)
- [Murder: Federal Sentences vs. Navy Courts-Martial, 2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-murder-vs-navy/)
- [Murder Charges: How Often Federal Trials and Courts-Martial End in Acquittal](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-murder-acquittal-rate-vs-courts-martial/)
- [Guilty Pleas in Murder Cases: Federal Court vs. Courts-Martial](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-murder-guilty-plea-rate-vs-courts-martial/)
- [Murder Convictions of Junior Enlisted (E-1 to E-4): Courts-Martial Compared With Federal Court](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-murder-junior-enlisted-vs-federal-court/)
- [Murder Convictions of NCOs (E-5 to E-9): Courts-Martial Compared With Federal Court](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-murder-ncos-vs-federal-court/)
- [Is Army Murder Prosecution Rising or Falling? Article 118, 2021–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-article-118-trend-2021-2025/) (court-martial data)
- [Article 118 (Murder): Court-Martial Data and Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/article-118-courts-martial/) (court-martial data)
- [Army Courts-Martial: Data and Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-courts-martial/) (court-martial data)
- [Article 118 UCMJ: Murder](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-118/?ref=bodiesburied.com) (law firm reference page)
- [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.