Session Laws

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:

Chapter 277 of the General Laws is hereby amended by striking out section 63, as appearing in the 1986 Official Edition, and inserting in place thereof the following section:-

Section 63. An indictment for murder may be found at anytime after the death of the person alleged to have been murdered. An indictment for a crime set forth in sections seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, twenty-one, twenty-two, twenty-two A, twenty-three, twenty-four and twenty-four B of chapter two hundred and sixty-five or section seventeen of chapter two hundred and seventy-two, or for conspiracy to commit such crime, or as accessory thereto, or any one or more of them may be found and filed within ten years of the date of commission of said crime. An indictment for any other crime shall be found and filed within six years after such crime has been committed; but any period during which the defendant is not usually and publicly a resident within the commonwealth shall be excluded in determining the time limited.

Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions, if a victim of a crime set forth in section thirteen B, thirteen F, thirteen H, twenty-two, twenty-two A, twenty-three, twenty-four B, or twenty-six A of chapter two hundred and sixty-five, or section one, two, three, four, four A, four B, five, six, seven, eight, twelve, thirteen, seventeen, twenty-six, twenty-eight, twenty-nine A, twenty-nine B, thirty-three, thirty-four, thirty-five or thirty-five A of chapter two hundred and seventy-two is under the age of sixteen at the time such crime is committed, the period of limitation for prosecution shall not commence until the victim has reached the age of sixteen or the violation is reported to a law enforcement agency, whichever occurs earlier.