Homicide - Murder & Manslaughter

Homicide crimes are some of the most serious crimes and require the use of a lawyer. Depending on the circumstances surrounding the case, and the type of charge, be it murder or manslaughter, your criminal attorney will help with determing the best course of action. Criminal defense law offers guidelines in criminal law cases involving such serious crimes at murder and manslaugher based on the intentions of the suspect and the circumstances surrounding the homicide. There are two classifications:

1. A killing, lawful or unlawful, of one human being by another.

2. Unlawful killing with or without intent to kill or do grievous bodily harm.

Murder

Murder is the unlawful killing of a human being with malice aforethought. Every murder perpetrated by poison, lying in wait, or any other kind of willful, deliberate, malicious, and premeditated killing; or committed in the perpetration of, or attempt to perpetrate, any arson, escape, murder, kidnapping, treason, espionage, sabotage, aggravated sexual abuse or sexual abuse, burglary, or robbery; or perpetrated from a premeditated design unlawfully and maliciously to effect the death of any human being other than him who is killed, is murder in the first degree. Any other murder is murder in the second degree.

Manslaughter

Manslaughter is the unlawful killing of a human being without malice. It is of two kinds:

1. Voluntary Manslaughter - Upon a sudden quarrel or heat of passion.

2. Involuntary Manslaughter - In the commission of an unlawful act not amounting to a felony, or in the commission in an unlawful manner, or without due caution and circumspection, of a lawful act which might produce death.

Other Types of Homicide

- Attempt to commit murder or manslaughter

- Protection of officers and employees of the United States

- Misconduct or neglect of ship officers

- Murder or manslaughter of foreign officials, official guests, or internationally protected persons

- Conspiracy to murder

- Murder by a Federal prisoner

- Foreign murder of United States nationals

- Murder by escaped prisoners

- Killing persons aiding Federal investigations or State correctional officers

- Protection against the human immunodeficiency virus.