Conn. Gen. Stat. » Title 53a — PENAL CODE · Chapter 952 — Penal Code: Offenses
Connecticut General Statutes

Conn. Gen. Stat. § 53a-56 (2026)

Manslaughter in the second degree: Class C felony

✓ current as of May 2026
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(a) A person is guilty of manslaughter in the second degree when: (1) He recklessly causes the death of another person; or (2) he intentionally causes or aids another person, other than by force, duress or deception, to commit suicide.

(b) Manslaughter in the second degree is a class C felony.

(1969, P.A. 828, S. 57.)

Cited. 169 C. 309; 181 C. 406; 188 C. 542; 195 C. 232. Manslaughter is not a lesser included offense of felony murder. 196 C. 421. Cited. 199 C. 631; 201 C. 174; 202 C. 629; 210 C. 78; 212 C. 593; 213 C. 579; 216 C. 699; 217 C. 498; 226 C. 237; 227 C. 566; 236 C. 342.

Cited. 7 CA 180; 11 CA 425; 19 CA 674; 21 CA 654; 24 CA 586; 26 CA 448; 32 CA 687; Id., 759; 37 CA 722; 42 CA 348. Cited re evidence sufficient to sustain conviction. 51 CA 814.

Subsec. (a):

Cited. 174 C. 89. Subdiv. (1): Manslaughter is a lesser included offense of murder although the state of mind required is different. 180 C. 382. Cited. 185 C. 63; 187 C. 6; 193 C. 632; 194 C. 119; 199 C. 155; 206 C. 657; 214 C. 57; 219 C. 16; 222 C. 444; 225 C. 55; 226 C. 20; 228 C. 118; Id., 147; 231 C. 115; 238 C. 253.

Cited. 5 CA 157; Id., 338; 11 CA 628; 17 CA 502; judgment reversed, see 213 C. 579; 20 CA 430; 25 CA 456; 28 CA 771; Id., 825; 30 CA 95; judgment reversed, see 228 C. 147; 32 CA 854; 38 CA 815; 40 CA 47. Conviction for manslaughter under Subdiv. (1) and manslaughter in second degree with a motor vehicle under Sec. 53a-56b(a) for the death of one person does not constitute double jeopardy. 111 CA 466.

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Notes of Decisions
Cited in 123 cases (12 in the last 5 years), 1977–2026 · leading case: State v. Salamon, 949 A.2d 1092 (Conn. 2008).
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State v. Salamon, 949 A.2d 1092 (Conn. 2008). · cites it 6× “See General Statutes § 53a-71 (class B or C felony); General Statutes § 53-21 (class B or C felony); General Statutes § 53a-56 (class C felony); General Statutes § 53a-70 (class A or B felony).”
State v. Coccomo, 31 A.3d 1012 (Conn. 2011). · cites it 12× “Thereafter, "[t]he defendant was arrested and charged with three counts of manslaughter in the second degree in violation of General Statutes § 53a-56 (a)(1), three counts of manslaughter in the second degree with a motor vehicle in violation of [General Statutes] § 53a-56b (a),…”
State v. Rodriguez, 429 A.2d 919 (Conn. 1980). · cites it 6× “Therefore, for purposes of this defendant’s sixth amendment right to notice, the *403 question presented to ns is whether the two sections of the first degree manslaughter statute; General Statutes § 53a-55 (a) (1) and (3) ; 14 the second degree manslaughter statute; General…”
State v. Montanez, 592 A.2d 149 (Conn. 1991). · cites it 9× “1 He claims that the trial court improperly: (1) denied his motion for judgment of acquittal because the evidence was insufficient to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he intended to kill the vie *18 tim; (2) refused to charge the jury on the lesser included offense of…”
State v. Salz, 627 A.2d 862 (Conn. 1993). · cites it 7× “The defendant, Richard Salz, was charged in a single count amended information with manslaughter in the second degree in violation of General Statutes § 53a-56 (a) (1). 2 Following the defendant’s conviction by a jury, the trial court sentenced him to a term of imprisonment of…”
Bunkley v. Comm'r of Corr., 610 A.2d 598 (Conn. 1992). · cites it 4× “4 The petitioner’s claims arise out of the direct appeal of his conviction of three counts of manslaughter in the second degree in violation of General Statutes § 53a-56 (a) (1), and two counts of assault in the third degree in violation of General Statutes § 53a-61 (a) (2).”
State v. Edwards, 570 A.2d 193 (Conn. 1990). · cites it 7× “Accordingly, the defendant filed procedurally proper requests for the jury to be charged on his defense of intoxication as a defense to first degree murder and on the lesser included offenses of first degree manslaughter pursuant to General Statutes § 53a-55 (a) (3), 3 second…”
State v. Burge, 487 A.2d 532 (Conn. 1985). · cites it 6× “Hafner, in violation of General Statutes § 53a-54a (a), 1 and eonvicted, after a trial by a jury, of *234 the lesser included offense of manslaughter in the second degree, in violation of General Statutes § 53a-56. 2 From the evidence presented at the trial, the jury-might…”
State v. Sivri, 646 A.2d 169 (Conn. 1994). · cites it 4× “The defendant requested that the trial court charge the jury on the following lesser included offenses: manslaughter in the first degree in violation of General Statutes § 53a-55 (a) (1) and (3), 11 manslaughter in the second degree in violation of General Statutes § 53a-56 (a)…”
State v. Wade, 942 A.2d 1085 (Conn. App. Ct. 2008). · cites it 8× “The state posits that if we conclude that there was insufficient evidence to support the defendant’s conviction of manslaughter in the first degree, we should remand the case to the trial court with direction to modify the judgment to reflect a judgment of conviction of…”
State v. Bunkley, 522 A.2d 795 (Conn. 1987). · cites it 5× “See General Statutes §§ 53a-56 (a) (1), 53a-61 (a) (2).”
State v. Hall, 569 A.2d 534 (Conn. 1990). · cites it 6× “*583 I The first issue presented by this appeal is whether the Appellate Court erred in concluding that the trial court’s refusal to instruct the jury that self-defense was an applicable defense to manslaughter in the second degree; General Statutes § 53a-56; 4 constituted…”
Show all 123 citing cases →
— Conn. Gen. Stat. § 53a-56(a) — 1 case
People v. Ryan N., 2001 Cal. Daily Op. Serv. 9104 (Cal. Ct. App. 2001).
— Conn. Gen. Stat. § 53a-56(a)(1) — 5 cases
United States v. Castillo, 896 F.3d 141 (2d Cir. 2018).
State v. Cornelius, 990 A.2d 927 (Conn. App. Ct. 2010).
Poulin v. Comm'r of Corr., 928 A.2d 556 (Conn. App. Ct. 2007).
Weaving v. Comm'r of Corr., 179 A.3d 1272 (Conn. App. Ct. 2017).
United States v. Castillo, 891 F.3d 417 (2d Cir. 2018).
— Conn. Gen. Stat. § 53a-56(a)(2) — 2 cases
Washington v. Glucksberg, 521 U.S. 702 (1997).
State v. Marti, 290 N.W.2d 570 (Iowa 1980).
Annotations are extracted automatically from the opinions in the Syfert caselaw corpus and ranked by authority, recency, and treatment. Dots show Syfertize treatment of the citing case itself.