187 is a slang term for the crime of murder; it refers to Section 187 of the California Penal Code

California Penal Code

The Penal Code of California forms the basis for the application of criminal law in the American state of California. It was originally enacted in 1872 as one of the original four California Codes, and has been substantially amended and revised since then....

, which defines the crime of murder. The number is commonly pronounced by reading the digits separately as "one-eight-seven", or "one-eighty-seven", rather than "one hundred eighty-seven".

The number "187" is reportedly used by gang

Gang

A gang is a group of people who, through the organization, formation, and establishment of an assemblage, share a common identity. In current usage it typically denotes a criminal organization or else a criminal affiliation. In early usage, the word gang referred to a group of workmen...

s throughout the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 as a synonym for murder; this usage has been reported as far away as Florida

Florida

Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...

 and Wisconsin

Wisconsin

Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...

.

California Penal Code Section 187

California Penal Code section 187, subdivision (a) defines murder as the "unlawful killing of a human being, or fetus, with malice aforethought", while subdivision (b) provides an exception to allow for abortion

Abortion

Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...

s, as required by federal constitutional law (see Roe v. Wade

Roe v. Wade

Roe v. Wade, , was a controversial landmark decision by the United States Supreme Court on the issue of abortion. The Court decided that a right to privacy under the due process clause in the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution extends to a woman's decision to have an abortion,...

(1973)).

In California, suspects are usually charged by reference to one or more Penal Code (PC) sections. Thus, the charging documents for a suspect charged with murder would be inscribed with "PC 187(a)" or just "PC 187". If a suspect is charged with attempted murder, then the relevant code would be "PC 664/187" because attempt is defined in Penal Code section 664.

Since murder is such a serious crime, the use of "187" as a synonym for murder is well-known among California attorneys and judges. For example, in June 2007, the California Court of Appeal (Fourth District, Division Three) reversed a verdict for the defendant in part because the judge kept making jokes such as telling the plaintiffs' lawyer she could object "until I die" and then the next day following up with "objection, 187", in response to new objections from her. The Court of Appeal was not amused with the trial judge's sarcastic method of telling the plaintiffs' lawyer that her objections were so bad that they were killing him.

External links

• Text of California Penal Code Section 187 (courtesy of Findlaw)