Homicide (Latin homicidium, homo human being + caedere to cut, kill) refers to the act of killing another human being.[1] It can also describe a person who has committed such an act, though this use is rare in modern English. Although homicide does not define an illegal act necessarily, some jurisdictions use the word to indicate the unlawful killing of a person. Homicide may include murder, voluntary manslaughter, and involuntary manslaughter. There are a number of defenses that make homicide justifiable or not legally "murder" in some cases.
Homicidal crimes
Criminal homicide is a malum in se crime, and every legal system contains some form of prohibition or regulation of criminal homicide.
Homicidal crimes in some criminal jurisdictions include:
- murder/murder in English law
- manslaughter/manslaughter in English law
- voluntary manslaughter
- involuntary manslaughter
- Intoxication manslaughter
- Death by dangerous driving
- reckless manslaughter
- Criminal Homicide
- culpable homicide (in Scots law)
- negligent homicide
- Criminally negligent homicide
Many forms of 'homicide' have their own term based on the person being killed.
- infanticide - Killing of an infant
- fratricide - Killing of one's brother; in a military context, killing of a friendly combatant
- sororicide - Killing of one's sister
- parricide - Killing of one's parents
- patricide - Killing of one's father
- matricide - Killing of one's mother
- mariticide - Killing of one's spouse
- uxoricide - Killing of one's wife
- filicide - Killing of one's child
- regicide - Killing of a monarch.
- genocide - Killing of a race
Non-criminal homicide
Homicides do not always involve a crime. Sometimes the law allows homicide either through certain defenses to criminal charges, or through exceptions or circumstances, e.g. state executions. Some legal homicides include:
- Justifiable homicide
- Capital punishment
- War
- Rajm or Qisas (Islamic Law)
References
See also
- suicide - Killing of yourself