187 (slang)


Section 187 of the California Penal Code 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" has been used by gangs throughout the United States and elsewhere as a synonym for murder; this usage has been documented in Florida, Wisconsin, the United Kingdom, and Germany. It also features widely in hip-hop culture, such as in Dr. Dre's "Deep Cover".

California Penal Code Section 187

California Penal Code section 187, subdivision defines murder as "the unlawful killing of a human being, or a fetus, with malice aforethought". Subdivision states that subdivision does not apply to any person who commits an act that results in the death of a fetus if any of the following apply: The act complied with certain Health and Safety Code sections or The act was committed by a holder of a physician's and surgeon's certificate, in a case where, to a medical certainty, the result of childbirth would be death of the mother of the fetus or where her death from childbirth, although not medically certain, would be substantially certain or more likely than not, or The act was solicited, aided, abetted, or consented to by the mother of the fetus.
In California, suspects are usually charged by reference to one or more Penal Code sections. Thus, the charging documents for a suspect charged with murder would be inscribed with "PC 187" 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.
Under the California Uniform Bail Schedule, the standard bail for murder is $750,000. The standard bail for first-degree murder with special circumstances is "NO BAIL".