ORS 163.135 — Extreme emotional disturbance as affirmative defense to murder in the second degree; notice of expert testimony; right of state to psychiatric or psychological examination
Oregon criminal law — ORS Title 16 (2025 snapshot) · legal_authorities
163.135 Extreme emotional disturbance as affirmative defense to murder in the second degree; notice of expert testimony; right of state to psychiatric or psychological examination. (1) It is an affirmative defense to murder in the second degree for purposes of ORS 163.115 (1)(a) that the homicide was committed under the influence of extreme emotional disturbance if the disturbance is not the result of the person’s own intentional, knowing, reckless or criminally negligent act and if there is a reasonable explanation for the disturbance. The reasonableness of the explanation for the disturbance must be determined from the standpoint of an ordinary person in the actor’s situation under the circumstances that the actor reasonably believed them to be. Extreme emotional disturbance does not constitute a defense to a prosecution for, or preclude a conviction of, manslaughter in the first degree or any other crime.
(2)(a) The defendant may not introduce in the defendant’s case in chief expert testimony regarding extreme emotional disturbance under this section unless the defendant gives notice of the defendant’s intent to do so.
(b) The notice required must be in writing and must be filed at the time the defendant pleads not guilty. The defendant may file the notice at any time after the defendant pleads but before trial if the court determines that there was just cause for failure to file the notice at the time of the defendant’s plea.
(c) If the defendant fails to file notice, the defendant may not introduce evidence for the purpose of proving extreme emotional disturbance under ORS 163.115 unless the court, in its discretion, determines that there was just cause for failure to file notice.
(3) After the defendant files notice as provided in subsection (2) of this sectio
Stored review status: 2025_edition_later_amendments_unresolved. A text match is a research starting point; applicability is not established.
Official chapter context and edition notices
Chapter 163 — Offenses Against Persons
2025 EDITION
OFFENSES AGAINST PERSONS
CRIMES AND PUNISHMENTS
HOMICIDE
ASSAULT AND RELATED OFFENSES
KIDNAPPING AND RELATED OFFENSES
COERCION
SEXUAL OFFENSES
OFFENSES AGAINST FAMILY
VISUAL RECORDING OF SEXUAL CONDUCT OF CHILDREN
INVASION OF PRIVACY
MISCELLANEOUS
STALKING
SEXUAL ABUSE RESTRAINING ORDERS
HOMICIDE
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Stable record: oregon_criminal_law:legal_authorities:163.135 Source file: ors163.html Pages: Not recorded – Not recorded Passage SHA-256: 0c0b5cb8d3916e79f470631d9ed8193876247ca723ec10ed5b4cffb3ed6d45f7 Retained source evidence SHA-256: 81109a43a5631ebec4ebfde641092a6c60ecd13ec77452c9939b53ff86a4d40c
Source location: ORS 163.135 (all printed versions and notes)
Stored source content
163.135 Extreme emotional disturbance as affirmative defense to murder in the second degree; notice of expert testimony; right of state to psychiatric or psychological examination. (1) It is an affirmative defense to murder in the second degree for purposes of ORS 163.115 (1)(a) that the homicide was committed under the influence of extreme emotional disturbance if the disturbance is not the result of the person’s own intentional, knowing, reckless or criminally negligent act and if there is a reasonable explanation for the disturbance. The reasonableness of the explanation for the disturbance must be determined from the standpoint of an ordinary person in the actor’s situation under the circumstances that the actor reasonably believed them to be. Extreme emotional disturbance does not constitute a defense to a prosecution for, or preclude a conviction of, manslaughter in the first degree or any other crime.
(2)(a) The defendant may not introduce in the defendant’s case in chief expert testimony regarding extreme emotional disturbance under this section unless the defendant gives notice of the defendant’s intent to do so.
(b) The notice required must be in writing and must be filed at the time the defendant pleads not guilty. The defendant may file the notice at any time after the defendant pleads but before trial if the court determines that there was just cause for failure to file the notice at the time of the defendant’s plea.
(c) If the defendant fails to file notice, the defendant may not introduce evidence for the purpose of proving extreme emotional disturbance under ORS 163.115 unless the court, in its discretion, determines that there was just cause for failure to file notice.
(3) After the defendant files notice as provided in subsection (2) of this section, the state may have at least one psychiatrist or licensed psychologist of its selection examine the defendant in the same manner and subject to the same provisions as provided in ORS 161.315.
(4) The discovery of, knowledge about or potential disclosure of the victim’s actual or perceived gender, gender identity, gender expression or sexual orientation, including but not limited to circumstances in which the victim made a romantic or sexual advance that was unwanted but did not involve force toward the defendant, does not constitute a reasonable explanation for an extreme emotional disturbance under this section.
(5) As used in this section, “gender identity” has the meaning given that term in ORS 166.155. [1971 c.743 §90; 1977 c.235 §1; 1981 c.873 §7; 2003 c.127 §1; 2019 c.635 §19; 2021 c.84 §1]
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Oregon criminal law — ORS Title 16 (2025 snapshot) · legal_authorities
161.315 Right of state to obtain mental examination of defendant; limitations; report. (1) Upon filing of notice or the introduction of evidence by the defendant as provided in ORS 161.309, the state shall have the right to have at least one psychiatrist or licensed psychologist of its selection examine the defendant. The state shall file notice with the court of its intention to have the defendant examined.
(2)(a) Upon filing of the notice, the court, in its discretion, may order the defendant committed to a state mental hospital or any other suitable facility, if the defendant is 18 years of age or older, for observation and examination, which may include treatment as permitted by law.
(b) If the defendant is under 18 years of age, upon filing of the notice, the court, in its discretion, may order the defendant committed to a secure intensive community inpatient facility designated by the Oregon Health Authority for examination.
(c) The state mental hospital or other facility may retain custody of a defendant committed under this subsection only for the duration necessary to complete the observation and examination of the defendant, not to exceed 30 days.
(3) If the defendant objects to the examiner chosen by the state, the court for good cause shown may direct the state to select a different examiner.
(4) An examiner performing an examination on the issue of insanity of a defendant under this section is not obligated to examine the defendant for fitness to proceed unless, during the examination, the examiner determines that the defendant’s fitness to proceed is drawn in question. If, during the examination, the examiner determines that the defendant’s fitness to proceed is in doubt, the examiner shall report the issue to the court and to the superintendent of th
163.115 Murder in the second degree; affirmative defense to certain felony murders; sentence of life imprisonment required; minimum term. (1) Except as provided in ORS 163.095, 163.118 and 163.125, criminal homicide constitutes murder in the second degree:
(a) When it is committed intentionally, except that it is an affirmative defense that, at the time of the homicide, the defendant was under the influence of an extreme emotional disturbance;
(b) When it is committed by a person, acting either alone or with one or more persons, who commits or attempts to commit any of the following crimes and in the course of and in furtherance of the crime the person is committing or attempting to commit, or during the immediate flight therefrom, the person, or another participant if there be any, causes the death of a person other than one of the participants:
(A) Arson in the first degree as defined in ORS 164.325;
(B) Criminal mischief in the first degree by means of an explosive as defined in ORS 164.365;
(C) Burglary in the first degree as defined in ORS 164.225;
(D) Escape in the first degree as defined in ORS 162.165;
(E) Kidnapping in the second degree as defined in ORS 163.225;
(F) Kidnapping in the first degree as defined in ORS 163.235;
(G) Robbery in the first degree as defined in ORS 164.415;
(H) Any felony sexual offense in the first degree defined in this chapter;
(I) Compelling prostitution as defined in ORS 167.017; or
(J) Assault in the first degree, as defined in ORS 163.185, and the victim is under 14 years of age, or assault in the second degree, as defined in ORS 163.175 (1)(a) or (b), and the victim is under 14 years of age; or
(c) By abuse when a person, recklessly under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to the value of human life, cau
166.155 Bias crime in the second degree. (1) A person commits a bias crime in the second degree if the person:
(a) Tampers or interferes with property, having no right to do so nor reasonable ground to believe that the person has such right, with the intent to cause substantial inconvenience to another person because of the person’s perception of the other person’s race, color, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability or national origin;
(b) Intentionally subjects another person to offensive physical contact because of the person’s perception of the other person’s race, color, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability or national origin; or
(c) Intentionally, because of the person’s perception of race, color, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability or national origin of another person or of a member of the other person’s family, subjects the other person to alarm by threatening:
(A) To inflict serious physical injury upon or to commit a felony affecting the other person, or a member of the other person’s family; or
(B) To cause substantial damage to the property of the other person or of a member of the other person’s family.
(2) A bias crime in the second degree is a Class A misdemeanor.
(3) As used in this section and ORS 166.165:
(a) “Gender identity” means an individual’s gender-related identity, appearance, expression or behavior, regardless of whether the identity, appearance, expression or behavior differs from that associated with the gender assigned to the individual at birth.
(b) “Property” means any tangible personal property or real property. [1981 c.785 §1; 1983 c.521 §1; 1989 c.1029 §1; 2007 c.100 §18; 2011 c.421 §1; 2019 c.553 §1]
163.118 Manslaughter in the first degree. (1) Criminal homicide constitutes manslaughter in the first degree when:
(a) It is committed recklessly under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to the value of human life;
(b) It is committed intentionally by a defendant under the influence of extreme emotional disturbance as provided in ORS 163.135, which constitutes a mitigating circumstance reducing the homicide that would otherwise be murder to manslaughter in the first degree and need not be proved in any prosecution;
(c) A person recklessly causes the death of a child under 14 years of age or a dependent person, as defined in ORS 163.205, and:
(A) The person has previously engaged in a pattern or practice of assault or torture of the victim or another child under 14 years of age or a dependent person; or
(B) The person causes the death by neglect or maltreatment, as defined in ORS 163.115; or
(d) It is committed recklessly or with criminal negligence by a person operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of intoxicants in violation of ORS 813.010 and:
(A) In the 10 years prior to the date of the current offense the person has been convicted of at least three of any of the following offenses in any combination:
(i) Driving under the influence of intoxicants in violation of ORS 813.010, or its statutory counterpart in another jurisdiction;
(ii) A driving under the influence of intoxicants offense in another jurisdiction that involved the impaired driving or operation of a vehicle, an aircraft or a boat due to the use of intoxicants or any combination thereof; or
(iii) An offense in another jurisdiction that involved driving or operating a vehicle, an aircraft or a boat while having a blood alcohol content above that jurisdiction’s permissible