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Matthew Radefeld & Dan Juengel
Matthew A. Radefeld and Daniel A. Juengel

Know when a homicide is a murder

On Behalf of | Mar 31, 2020 | Criminal Law |

Taking another person’s life is something that most people never think they’ll have to do. When you’re facing a homicide investigation, it is imperative that you understand a few points about the differences in terms you might hear.

Not all homicides are murder. A homicide is any death that isn’t the result of something natural. A murder is an intentional killing, and a manslaughter is an illegal killing that might not have been intentional. There is also a justifiable homicide, which means that one person killed another but that the terms for the killing didn’t meet the legal definition of a crime.

There are different types of murder. First degree is the most serious. It requires that the person intentionally killed the victim and that the action was premeditated. When the premeditated aspect is missing, the crime might be considered second-degree murder. Prosecutors will look at the circumstances of the killing to determine what to charge the defendant with.

Some killings don’t meet the requirements to be considered murder, but they are still criminal matters. These are usually classified as manslaughter. Crimes in this category are divided between voluntary or involuntary. Voluntary is the more serious of these two types of manslaughter.

For people who are facing any criminal charges due to a homicide should ensure they understand what charge they are facing. They also need to learn about the possible criminal defenses they might utilize. These are serious charges that should be addressed immediately. Developing the defense strategy might help you minimize the penalties you face because of the charge.