VA · jury_instructions
Va. Model Jury Instr. Crim. No. 42.120
Escape from Custody By Force or Violence
The defendant is charged with the crime of escape from custody by force or violence. The
Commonwealth must prove beyond a reasonable doubt each of the following elements of that
crime:
(1) That the defendant was in the lawful custody of a law enforcement officer;
(2) That the defendant was charged in writing with a criminal offense before he was taken into
custody; and
(3) That he escaped [without lawful permission] from custody by force or violence.
If you find from the evidence that the Commonwealth has proved beyond a reasonable doubt
each of the above elements of the crime, then you shall find the defendant guilty [but you shall not
fix the punishment until your verdict has been returned and further evidence has been heard by
you].
If you find that the Commonwealth has failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt any one or
more of the elements of the crime, then you shall find the defendant not guilty of the crime of
escape from custody by force or violence.
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
c08e718bc1e940426adbe73972e6e8de3f6b0bb7608e53be51c8fb73f1c5af72
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