VA · jury_instructions
Va. Model Jury Instr. Crim. No. 3.100
Principal in the Second Degree
A principal in the second degree is a person who did not actually commit the crime, but rather is
present and knowingly assists by helping in the commission of the crime. It must be shown that he
[intended by his words, gestures, signals or actions to encourage, advise, urge, or help the person who
actually committed the crime; shared the criminal intent of the person who actually committed the
crime]. Presence and consent alone are not sufficient to make a person a principal in the second
degree.
A principal in the second degree is liable for the same punishment as the person who actually
committed the crime.
History
Virginia Model Jury Instructions – Criminal, Release 26, October 2025. The unannotated set, posted by the Supreme Court of Virginia at vacourts.gov; the book states that it is made available with the permission of the publisher, Matthew Bender & Company, Inc.
Provenance
- Source
- vacourts.gov
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-11
- Edition
- crim-2025-10-01
- Content hash
a723250f9283cbf7da8da9aba163699dba593a14b53c2bfecf6231a5c84d30ab
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