We do have various versions of the merger doctrine in US criminal law. The details depend on jurisdiction, but generally in order to be merged into a greater of

We do have various versions of the merger doctrine in US criminal law. The details depend on jurisdiction, but generally in order to be merged into a greater offense the lesser included offense must have elements that are a strict subset. For example, battery and murder will generally merge, but a breaking and entering leading up to the homicide will not.