If you’re an atty and you are able to technically answer...(versus a civilian with an opinion)
If a “murder” charge is “downgraded” or the charges are “refiled” as much lower grade homicide charges, does that qualify as “dropping” the [original] charges?
Well, dropping is more a colloquial term than a legal one. I'm not sure what is meant by "downgraded" either. The original charge had to be either dismissed by the prosecutor or ruled against by a Judge (ie. a finding of no probable cause or granting a motion to suppress) before a new "downgraded" charge can be "refiled" by the prosecutor.