Homicide is the act of killing one person by another. It can be a noncriminal act or a criminal act, such as murder. The circumstances of the death determine the legal category of the homicide, which can include:
- Murder: An intentional killing, or one that occurs during the commission of another serious crime
- Manslaughter: A criminal homicide that is not murder
- Justifiable homicide: A homicide that is considered acceptable by the law
- Felony murder: A controversial law that allows prosecutors to charge a defendant with murder if a death occurs during the commission of a felony
Other types of homicides include: assassination, killing in war, euthanasia, and capital punishment.
Homicides can be accidental, reckless, or negligent, and do not necessarily require intent to cause harm. For example, if a bus driver runs over a pedestrian, the death is a homicide even though the driver may not have intended to cause harm.
Trending pages
All items (33)
S
Z
