An Act relative to petit treason

This bill removes the specific instruction in Massachusetts law that treats petit treason as murder. Petit treason is a historical legal concept that once applied to crimes like a servant killing their master or a wife killing her husband. By striking the phrase "petit treason shall be prosecuted and punished as murder," the legislation effectively decouples these specific acts from the severe penalties associated with murder. The change impacts the state's criminal code by updating how these rare offenses are legally defined and punished.