Homicide, Murder, Manslaughter When are you guilty of murder and when are you an accomplice?

[A writer]

Jurisdiction

Arizona

Dear all,
I'm working on a story, and I ran into a question, and I thought I might ask it here.

Imagine five armed guys stealing a car.
They head to another town. The park near a mall. Before they get out they spot two cops who are having a break. The cops face the left side of the car. The cops spot the carjackers and pull their guns. However, the two carjackers on the left side of the car lower their windows and shoot the cops dead. The five stay with each other and flee away. The other three had weapons but didn't shoot or draw them. The five didn't plan the killing at all and the two who shot the cops did it instinctively (if I can put it like that). The five are later caught and arrested. Now here comes my question(s):

How will the three carjackers who didn't shoot the cops probably be charged, convicted and sentenced, aside of grand theft auto? Will they be charged, convicted and sentenced of the murders at all? And if so, how?

 

[adjusterjack]

They are all guilty of murder.

You're a writer.

Even with the most rudimentary of skills you should be able to research it to learn why.

 

[army judge]

Dear all,
I'm working on a story, and I ran into a question, and I thought I might ask it here.

Imagine five armed guys stealing a car.
They head to another town. The park near a mall. Before they get out they spot two cops who are having a break. The cops face the left side of the car. The cops spot the carjackers and pull their guns. However, the two carjackers on the left side of the car lower their windows and shoot the cops dead. The five stay with each other and flee away. The other three had weapons but didn't shoot or draw them. The five didn't plan the killing at all and the two who shot the cops did it instinctively (if I can put it like that). The five are later caught and arrested. Now here comes my question(s):

How will the three carjackers who didn't shoot the cops probably be charged, convicted and sentenced, aside of grand theft auto? Will they be charged, convicted and sentenced of the murders at all? And if so, how?

These days all five parties could be charged with first degree murder (or one of its lesser versions, although doubtful) as principals.

The distinguishing factor here is the two victims are police officers.

As far as I can recall, the murder of a police is a capital crime in jurisdictions where the death penalty rules supreme. In others it's a "life without parole" crime, or one of 200 years, plus additional time for the weapons charges and the carjacking, and subsequent grand theft of the auto.

In some jurisdictions the two shooters would be charged with first degree murder, and the other three with murder via the felony murder rule.

A suggestion to a budding author, from a person that has penned a couple short stories, and currently writing my first novel.

Don't get too hung up on legal or technical details, your readers know its fiction, unless you are recreating a real life murder. Additionally, don't do what prosecutors do and add additional crimes, just because.

It's the plot your readers seek, OP.

If they wanted reality, they'd buy textbooks.

Anyway, good luck.