first-degree murder vs murder in the first degree

first-degree murder

noun
  • An act that constitutes the crime of first-degree murder. 

  • The criminal offence of murder in a form considered by law to be the most serious; the precise distinction may vary by jurisdiction but typically involves premeditation, or the choice of victim or other circumstances being regarded as especially blameworthy. 

murder in the first degree

noun
  • Synonym of first-degree murder 

How often have the words first-degree murder and murder in the first degree occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )