Homicide
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For other uses, see Homicide (disambiguation).
Etymology: Latin homicidium, from homo- human being + caedere- to cut, kill
Homicide is the act of killing another human being. It can also refer to a person who has committed such an act, though this use is rare in modern English. Although homicide is not necessarily illegal, some jurisdictions use the word to indicate the unlawful killing of a person.
[edit] Homicidal crimes
Homicide is typically considered a malum in se crime, and every legal system contains some form of prohibition or regulation of homicide.
Homicidal crimes 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 (in some criminal jurisdictions)
- 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
- suicide - Killing of oneself
[edit] Non-criminal homicide
Not all homicides are crimes. Sometimes a homicide is allowed either through certain defenses to criminal charges, or through circumstances, e.g. state executions. Some legal homicides include:
