diff --git a/src/plumpy/process_comms.py b/src/plumpy/process_comms.py
index 2d6b3bf4..5049dad1 100644
--- a/src/plumpy/process_comms.py
+++ b/src/plumpy/process_comms.py
@@ -229,7 +229,9 @@ async def play_process(self, pid: 'PID_TYPE') -> 'ProcessResult':
         result = await asyncio.wrap_future(future)
         return result
 
-    async def kill_process(self, pid: 'PID_TYPE', msg_text: Optional[str] = None) -> 'ProcessResult':
+    async def kill_process(
+        self, pid: 'PID_TYPE', msg_text: Optional[str] = None, force_kill: bool = False
+    ) -> 'ProcessResult':
         """
         Kill the process
 
@@ -237,7 +239,7 @@ async def kill_process(self, pid: 'PID_TYPE', msg_text: Optional[str] = None) ->
         :param msg: optional kill message
         :return: True if killed, False otherwise
         """
-        msg = MessageBuilder.kill(text=msg_text)
+        msg = MessageBuilder.kill(text=msg_text, force_kill=force_kill)
 
         # Wait for the communication to go through
         kill_future = self._communicator.rpc_send(pid, msg)
@@ -401,7 +403,7 @@ def play_all(self) -> None:
         """
         self._communicator.broadcast_send(None, subject=Intent.PLAY)
 
-    def kill_process(self, pid: 'PID_TYPE', msg_text: Optional[str] = None) -> kiwipy.Future:
+    def kill_process(self, pid: 'PID_TYPE', msg_text: Optional[str] = None, force_kill: bool = False) -> kiwipy.Future:
         """
         Kill the process
 
@@ -409,7 +411,7 @@ def kill_process(self, pid: 'PID_TYPE', msg_text: Optional[str] = None) -> kiwip
         :param msg: optional kill message
         :return: a response future from the process to be killed
         """
-        msg = MessageBuilder.kill(text=msg_text)
+        msg = MessageBuilder.kill(text=msg_text, force_kill=force_kill)
         return self._communicator.rpc_send(pid, msg)
 
     def kill_all(self, msg_text: Optional[str]) -> None:
diff --git a/src/plumpy/process_states.py b/src/plumpy/process_states.py
index 931dbc5e..7d452b24 100644
--- a/src/plumpy/process_states.py
+++ b/src/plumpy/process_states.py
@@ -31,10 +31,11 @@
     'Excepted',
     'Finished',
     'Interruption',
+    'Killed',
     # Commands
     'Kill',
     'KillInterruption',
-    'Killed',
+    'ForceKillInterruption',
     'PauseInterruption',
     'ProcessState',
     'Running',
@@ -59,6 +60,14 @@ def __init__(self, msg_text: str | None):
         self.msg: MessageType = msg
 
 
+class ForceKillInterruption(Interruption):
+    def __init__(self, msg_text: str | None):
+        super().__init__()
+        msg = MessageBuilder.kill(text=msg_text)
+
+        self.msg: MessageType = msg
+
+
 class PauseInterruption(Interruption):
     def __init__(self, msg_text: str | None):
         super().__init__()
diff --git a/src/plumpy/processes.py b/src/plumpy/processes.py
index 409374d0..7eca4411 100644
--- a/src/plumpy/processes.py
+++ b/src/plumpy/processes.py
@@ -965,7 +965,11 @@ def message_receive(self, _comm: kiwipy.Communicator, msg: MessageType) -> Any:
         if intent == process_comms.Intent.PAUSE:
             return self._schedule_rpc(self.pause, msg_text=msg.get(process_comms.MESSAGE_TEXT_KEY, None))
         if intent == process_comms.Intent.KILL:
-            return self._schedule_rpc(self.kill, msg_text=msg.get(process_comms.MESSAGE_TEXT_KEY, None))
+            return self._schedule_rpc(
+                self.kill,
+                msg_text=msg.get(process_comms.MESSAGE_TEXT_KEY, None),
+                force_kill=msg.get(process_comms.FORCE_KILL_KEY),
+            )
         if intent == process_comms.Intent.STATUS:
             status_info: Dict[str, Any] = {}
             self.get_status_info(status_info)
@@ -998,7 +1002,11 @@ def broadcast_receive(
         if subject == process_comms.Intent.PAUSE:
             return self._schedule_rpc(self.pause, msg_text=msg.get(process_comms.MESSAGE_TEXT_KEY, None))
         if subject == process_comms.Intent.KILL:
-            return self._schedule_rpc(self.kill, msg_text=msg.get(process_comms.MESSAGE_TEXT_KEY, None))
+            return self._schedule_rpc(
+                self.kill,
+                msg_text=msg.get(process_comms.MESSAGE_TEXT_KEY, None),
+                force_kill=msg.get(process_comms.FORCE_KILL_KEY),
+            )
         return None
 
     def _schedule_rpc(self, callback: Callable[..., Any], *args: Any, **kwargs: Any) -> kiwipy.Future:
@@ -1160,7 +1168,7 @@ def _create_interrupt_action(self, exception: process_states.Interruption) -> fu
             do_pause = functools.partial(self._do_pause, exception.msg)
             return futures.CancellableAction(do_pause, cookie=exception)
 
-        if isinstance(exception, process_states.KillInterruption):
+        if isinstance(exception, (process_states.KillInterruption, process_states.ForceKillInterruption)):
 
             def do_kill(_next_state: process_states.State) -> Any:
                 try:
@@ -1222,11 +1230,13 @@ def fail(self, exception: Optional[BaseException], trace_back: Optional[Tracebac
         )
         self.transition_to(new_state)
 
-    def kill(self, msg_text: Optional[str] = None) -> Union[bool, asyncio.Future]:
+    def kill(self, msg_text: Optional[str] = None, force_kill: bool = False) -> Union[bool, asyncio.Future]:
         """
         Kill the process
         :param msg: An optional kill message
+        :param force_kill: An optional whether force kill the process
         """
+
         if self.state == process_states.ProcessState.KILLED:
             # Already killed
             return True
@@ -1235,10 +1245,27 @@ def kill(self, msg_text: Optional[str] = None) -> Union[bool, asyncio.Future]:
             # Can't kill
             return False
 
-        if self._killing:
+        if self._killing and not force_kill:
             # Already killing
             return self._killing
 
+        if force_kill:
+            # Skip interrupting the state and go straight to killed
+            interrupt_exception = process_states.ForceKillInterruption(msg_text)
+            # XXX: this line was not in ali's PR but to make the change align with _stepping,
+            # it seems it is needed to set the _interrupt_action to be used line after.
+            # Requires more check to test with aiida-core's PR.
+            #
+            # self._set_interrupt_action_from_exception(interrupt_exception)
+            #
+            self._killing = self._interrupt_action
+            self._state.interrupt(interrupt_exception)
+
+            msg = MessageBuilder.kill(msg_text, force_kill=True)
+            new_state = self._create_state_instance(process_states.ProcessState.KILLED, msg=msg)
+            self.transition_to(new_state)
+            return True
+
         if self._stepping:
             # Ask the step function to pause by setting this flag and giving the
             # caller back a future
@@ -1246,9 +1273,10 @@ def kill(self, msg_text: Optional[str] = None) -> Union[bool, asyncio.Future]:
             self._set_interrupt_action_from_exception(interrupt_exception)
             self._killing = self._interrupt_action
             self._state.interrupt(interrupt_exception)
+
             return cast(futures.CancellableAction, self._interrupt_action)
 
-        msg = MessageBuilder.kill(msg_text)
+        msg = MessageBuilder.kill(msg_text, force_kill=False)
         new_state = self._create_state_instance(process_states.ProcessState.KILLED, msg=msg)
         self.transition_to(new_state)
         return True