The murder of Randy Gori was a senseless and brutal crime. We at the U.S. Attorney’s Office join
the community in shock, grief, and outrage. Other area homicides described in recent media accounts
also appear to be heinous acts of cruelty that demand justice. This office will promptly review any
request we receive to open an investigation, but we cannot assess whether federal law has been
violated until the facts from the investigations are presented to us.
The federal government is a government of limited jurisdiction, and it does not possess general
police powers. That is why nearly all homicide cases are prosecuted in state courts.
Congress has, however, enacted at least 60 criminal statutes where murder or causing the death of
another can be prosecuted federally. These laws generally fall into three categories. The first
category includes statutes where federal jurisdiction is established based on the status of the
perpetrator or the victim. For example, it is a federal crime to murder certain federal officials
and office holders. The second category includes statutes where federal jurisdiction is premised on
the location of the death, such as murders that occur on federal land. The third category includes
killings that occur during the commission of another federal offense, such as a murder committed
during a bank robbery.
Not all of these crimes are punishable by the death penalty. Nor does a homicide automatically
become a death-eligible federal crime simply because someone crossed a state line.
U.S. Attorneys must follow the federal death penalty protocol when they bring charges that carry
the death penalty as a possible punishment. This procedure requires the case to be reviewed and
evaluated by the Capital Case Section within the Criminal Division of the Justice Department in
Washington, D.C. The process culminates in a decision by the Attorney General of the United States
to seek or not to seek the death penalty against an individual defendant. Those decisions are based
upon the specific facts and laws applicable to the case, with the goal of ensuring that the
federal capital sentencing laws are applied consistently and fairly across the nation.
We have a long history of working with our state and local law enforcement partners to
achieve just outcomes in southern Illinois, and we will continue to stand with the victims’
families, the police, and the Madison County State’s Attorney’s Office as the community seeks
justice for these crimes.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
