2.__Excessive or disproportionate sentence.__With regard to the review of the sentence, the Supreme Judicial Court shall determine whether the sentence is excessive or disproportionate to the sentence imposed in similar cases, if any, considering both the crime and the defendant.__If the Supreme Judicial Court finds the sentence excessive or disproportionate to the sentence imposed in similar cases, the court may, in addition to any of its other powers, set aside the sentence and remand the case to the trial court for the imposition of a sentence of life imprisonment.

3.__Direct appeal.__The sentence review and the direct appeal, if any, have priority over other cases and must be heard in accordance with any rules that the Supreme Judicial Court may prescribe to implement this section.__A sentence of death may not be executed unless the sentence is reviewed and affirmed in accordance with this section.

Sec. 7. 17-A MRSA §201, sub-§2, as amended by PL 2001, c. 383, §8 and affected by §156, is further amended to read:

2. The sentence for murder is as authorized in chapter 51 except that, if the State pleads and proves that the crime of murder was committed against a family or household member, the sentence is as authorized in chapter 52-A.

Sec. 8. 17-A MRSA §201, sub-§6 is enacted to read:

6.__For the purposes of this section, "family or household member" has the same meaning as in Title 19-A, section 4002, subsection 4.

Sec. 9. 17-A MRSA §1152, sub-§2, ¶¶K and L, as enacted by PL 2003, c. 711, Pt. A, §9, are amended to read:

K. A fine, suspended in whole or in part, with, at the court's discretion, administrative release as authorized by chapter 54-G; or

L. A suspended term of imprisonment with administrative release as authorized by chapter 54-G.; or