Me. Rev. Stat. » Title 17-A
Maine Revised Statutes

Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 17-A, § 57 (2026)

Criminal liability for conduct of another; accomplices

✓ current as of May 2026
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1.  A person may be guilty of a crime if it is committed by the conduct of another person for which the person is legally accountable as provided in this section.  
[PL 2007, c. 173, §13 (AMD).]
2.  A person is legally accountable for the conduct of another person when:  
A. Acting with the intention, knowledge, recklessness or criminal negligence that is sufficient for the commission of the crime, the person causes an innocent person, or a person not criminally responsible, to engage in such conduct; or   [PL 2007, c. 173, §13 (AMD).]
B. The person is made accountable for the conduct of such other person by the law defining the crime; or   [PL 2007, c. 173, §13 (AMD).]
C. The person is an accomplice of such other person in the commission of the crime, as provided in subsection 3.   [PL 2007, c. 173, §13 (AMD).]
[PL 2007, c. 173, §13 (AMD).]
3.  A person is an accomplice of another person in the commission of a crime if:  
A. With the intent of promoting or facilitating the commission of the crime, the person solicits such other person to commit the crime, or aids or agrees to aid or attempts to aid such other person in planning or committing the crime. A person is an accomplice under this subsection to any crime the commission of which was a reasonably foreseeable consequence of the person's conduct; or   [PL 2007, c. 173, §13 (AMD).]
B. The person's conduct is expressly declared by law to establish the person's complicity.   [PL 2007, c. 173, §13 (AMD).]
[PL 2007, c. 173, §13 (AMD).]
4.  A person who is legally incapable of committing a particular crime may be guilty thereof if it is committed by the conduct of another person for which the person is legally accountable.  
[PL 2007, c. 173, §13 (AMD).]
5.  Unless otherwise expressly provided, a person is not an accomplice in a crime committed by another person if:  
A. The person is the victim of that crime;   [PL 2007, c. 173, §13 (AMD).]
B. The crime is so defined that it cannot be committed without the person's cooperation; or   [PL 2007, c. 173, §13 (AMD).]
C. The person terminates complicity prior to the commission of the crime by:  
(1) Informing the person's accomplice that the person has abandoned the criminal activity; and  
(2) Leaving the scene of the prospective crime, if the person is present thereat.   [PL 2007, c. 173, §13 (AMD).]
[PL 2007, c. 173, §13 (AMD).]
6.  An accomplice may be convicted on proof of the commission of the crime and of the accomplice's complicity therein, though the person claimed to have committed the crime has not been prosecuted or convicted, or has been convicted of a different crime or degree of crime, or is not subject to criminal prosecution pursuant to section 10-A, subsection 1, or has an immunity to prosecution or conviction, or has been acquitted.  
[PL 2007, c. 173, §13 (AMD).]
SECTION HISTORY
PL 1975, c. 499, §1 (NEW). PL 1977, c. 510, §§25-A (AMD). PL 2007, c. 173, §13 (AMD).
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Notes of Decisions
Cited in 95 cases (7 in the last 5 years), 1978–2026 · leading case: State of Maine v. Sharon Carrillo, 2021 ME 18 (Me. 2021).
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State of Maine v. Sharon Carrillo, 2021 ME 18 (Me. 2021). · cites it 3× “27 and seriousness of the crime, the court described the almost daily brutal beatings that the child—only ten years old—suffered at Carrillo’s hands over a period of months, the dozens of injuries the child sustained, and the humiliation she experienced, much of which Carrillo…”
State of Maine v. Pedro J. Rosario, 2022 ME 46 (Me. 2022). · cites it 3× “” 17 statutory defense” regarding Rosario terminating complicity as an accomplice under 17-A M.R.S. § 57(5)(C) (2022).15 [¶31] The court did not commit obvious error.”
State v. Howes, 432 A.2d 419 (Me. 1981). · cites it 4× “" 17-A M.R.S.A. § 57(3)(A) The only evidence that the fire at the Gramling property resulted from arson was the testimony of John Stevens, an investigator for the State Fire Marshall's office.”
State v. George, 52 A.3d 903 (Me. 2012). · cites it 3× “[¶ 11] In addition to the charges of murder and conspiracy for which George was indicted, the court instructed the jury on the elements of accomplice liability, pursuant to 17-A M.R.S. § 57(3) (2011). 4 The jury returned a verdict finding George and Williams guilty on both…”
State v. Allison, 427 A.2d 471 (Me. 1981). · cites it 4× “The appellant challenges the sufficiency of the indictment, first, because the word “thereof” is missing at the end of the charge and, second, because it charged him as a principal rather than as an accomplice under 17-A M.R.S.A. § 57. 1. Under 17-A M.R.S.A.”
People v. Woods, 92 Cal. Daily Op. Serv. 7287 (Cal. Ct. App. 1992). · cites it 2× “§ 21-3205 (2) (person criminally responsible for crimes of another `is also liable for any other crime committed in pursuance of the intended crime if reasonably foreseeable by him as a probable consequence of committing or attempting to commit the crime intended'); Me. Rev.…”
State v. Spearin, 477 A.2d 1147 (Me. 1984). · cites it 4× “On appeal defendant contends that he cannot be convicted constitutionally of both arson as an accomplice and conspiracy to commit arson.”
Bogdanov v. People, 941 P.2d 247 (Colo. 1997). “, Me.Rev. Stat. Ann. tit. 17-A, § 57 (West 1983).”
State of Maine v. Marcus Asante, 2020 ME 90 (Me. 2020). · cites it 2× “§ 651(1)(D); see 17-A M.R.S. § 57(3)(A) (2020);4 see also State v.”
Tharp v. Commonwealth, 40 S.W.3d 356 (Ky. 2000). · cites it 2× “Acts ch. 423 § 62 (eff. July 1, 1987). [7] 1986 Ky.”
State v. Ketchum, 1997 ME 93 (Me. 1997). · cites it 6× “[¶ 8] In defending the jury's verdict finding Ketchum guilty of theft, the State contends that the evidence was sufficient to hold Ketchum responsible for the theft as an accomplice, pursuant to 17-A M.R.S.A. § 57 (1983). [¶ 9] 17-A M.R.”
State of Maine v. Eric Anderson, 2016 ME 183 (Me. 2016). · cites it 2× “[¶ 20] A person is guilty as an accomplice of a crime committed by another person if he or she “aids or agrees to aid or attempts to aid such other person in planning or committing the crime,” and has the “intent of promoting or facilitating the commission of the crime.”
Show all 95 citing cases →
— Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 17-A, § 57(1) — 7 cases
State v. Kimball, 424 A.2d 684 (Me. 1981).
State v. Colomy, 407 A.2d 1115 (Me. 1979).
State of Maine v. Sharon Carrillo, 2021 ME 18 (Me. 2021). “27 and seriousness of the crime, the court described the almost daily brutal beatings that the child—only ten years old—suffered at Carrillo’s hands over a period of months, the dozens of injuries the child sustained, and the humiliation she experienced, much of which Carrillo…”
State v. Ayers, 433 A.2d 356 (Me. 1981).
State of Maine v. Bobby L. Nightingale, 2023 ME 71 (Me. 2023).
— Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 17-A, § 57(1)(2)(C)(3) — 1 case
State v. Porter, 404 A.2d 590 (Me. 1979).
— Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 17-A, § 57(2) — 1 case
State v. Allison, 427 A.2d 471 (Me. 1981). “The appellant challenges the sufficiency of the indictment, first, because the word “thereof” is missing at the end of the charge and, second, because it charged him as a principal rather than as an accomplice under 17-A M.R.S.A. § 57. 1. Under 17-A M.R.S.A.”
— Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 17-A, § 57(2)(C) — 2 cases
State of Maine v. Bethany Ringuette, 2022 ME 61 (Me. 2022).
State v. Davis, 695 A.2d 1183 (Me. 1997).
— Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 17-A, § 57(3) — 9 cases
State v. George, 52 A.3d 903 (Me. 2012). “[¶ 11] In addition to the charges of murder and conspiracy for which George was indicted, the court instructed the jury on the elements of accomplice liability, pursuant to 17-A M.R.S. § 57(3) (2011). 4 The jury returned a verdict finding George and Williams guilty on both…”
Tharp v. Commonwealth, 40 S.W.3d 356 (Ky. 2000). “Acts ch. 423 § 62 (eff. July 1, 1987). [7] 1986 Ky.”
Rippett v. Bemis, 672 A.2d 82 (Me. 1996).
State v. Gervais, 394 A.2d 1183 (Me. 1978).
State v. Spearin, 477 A.2d 1147 (Me. 1984). “On appeal defendant contends that he cannot be convicted constitutionally of both arson as an accomplice and conspiracy to commit arson.”
— Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 17-A, § 57(3)(A) — 56 cases
State v. Howes, 432 A.2d 419 (Me. 1981). “" 17-A M.R.S.A. § 57(3)(A) The only evidence that the fire at the Gramling property resulted from arson was the testimony of John Stevens, an investigator for the State Fire Marshall's office.”
State of Maine v. Marcus Asante, 2020 ME 90 (Me. 2020). “§ 651(1)(D); see 17-A M.R.S. § 57(3)(A) (2020);4 see also State v.”
State of Maine v. Eric Anderson, 2016 ME 183 (Me. 2016). “[¶ 20] A person is guilty as an accomplice of a crime committed by another person if he or she “aids or agrees to aid or attempts to aid such other person in planning or committing the crime,” and has the “intent of promoting or facilitating the commission of the crime.”
State of Maine v. Randall Daluz, 2016 ME 102 (Me. 2016).
State of Maine v. Jahneiro Plummer, 2020 ME 106 (Me. 2020).
— Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 17-A, § 57(3XA) — 2 cases
State v. Goodall, 407 A.2d 268 (Me. 1979).
State v. Howes, 432 A.2d 419 (Me. 1981). “" 17-A M.R.S.A. § 57(3)(A) The only evidence that the fire at the Gramling property resulted from arson was the testimony of John Stevens, an investigator for the State Fire Marshall's office.”
— Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 17-A, § 57(4) — 1 case
State v. Willings, 876 A.2d 23 (Me. 2005).
— Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 17-A, § 57(5) — 1 case
State of Maine v. Sharon Carrillo, 2021 ME 18 (Me. 2021). “27 and seriousness of the crime, the court described the almost daily brutal beatings that the child—only ten years old—suffered at Carrillo’s hands over a period of months, the dozens of injuries the child sustained, and the humiliation she experienced, much of which Carrillo…”
— Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 17-A, § 57(5)(A) — 1 case
State of Maine v. Sharon Carrillo, 2021 ME 18 (Me. 2021). “27 and seriousness of the crime, the court described the almost daily brutal beatings that the child—only ten years old—suffered at Carrillo’s hands over a period of months, the dozens of injuries the child sustained, and the humiliation she experienced, much of which Carrillo…”
— Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 17-A, § 57(5)(C) — 2 cases
State of Maine v. Pedro J. Rosario, 2022 ME 46 (Me. 2022). “” 17 statutory defense” regarding Rosario terminating complicity as an accomplice under 17-A M.R.S. § 57(5)(C) (2022).15 [¶31] The court did not commit obvious error.”
State v. Daniels, 663 A.2d 33 (Me. 1995).
— Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 17-A, § 57(5XC) — 1 case
State v. Daigle, 525 A.2d 220 (Me. 1987).
— Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 17-A, § 57(6) — 1 case
State v. Harding, 408 A.2d 1003 (Me. 1979).
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