This bill proposes to amend Arizona Revised Statutes section 13-2926, which currently classifies the offense of abandoning or concealing a dead human body as a class 5 felony. The new language would introduce enhanced penalties, establishing that if a person mutilates, disfigures, or dismembers a dead human body with the intent to conceal a crime or avoid apprehension, or if they cause the death of a person before abandoning or concealing the body, they would be guilty of a class 3 felony instead.

The bill aims to strengthen the legal consequences for more severe actions related to the concealment of a body, thereby addressing the seriousness of such offenses when they are linked to criminal intent or actions that result in death. The existing provisions regarding lawful handling of dead remains in specific contexts, such as funerals and cemeteries, remain unchanged.

Statutes affected:
Introduced Version: 13-2926