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This is an accepted version of this page This is the latest accepted revision, reviewed on 6 January 2025. Unlawful killing of a human with malice aforethought For other uses, see Murder (disambiguation). "Murderer" redirects here. For other uses, see Murderer (disambiguation). "Double murder" redirects here. For the film, see Double Murder. Cain slaying Abel, by Peter Paul Rubens, c. 1600 ...
In the United States, the law for murder varies by jurisdiction. In many US jurisdictions there is a hierarchy of acts, known collectively as homicide, of which first-degree murder and felony murder [1] are the most serious, followed by second-degree murder and, in a few states, third-degree murder, which in other states is divided into voluntary manslaughter, and involuntary manslaughter such ...
The actus reus (Latin for "guilty act") of murder was defined in common law by Coke: . Murder is when a man of sound memory and of the age of discretion, unlawfully killeth within any county of the realm any reasonable creature in rerum natura under the King's peace, with malice aforthought, either expressed by the party or implied by law, so as the party wounded, or hurt, etc. die of the ...
Massacre, mass murder or spree killing – the killing of many people. Murder – the malicious and unlawful killing of a human by another human. Manslaughter - murder, but under legally mitigating circumstances. Omnicide – the act of killing all humans, to create intentional extinction of the human species (Latin: omni "all, everyone").
Murder, as defined in common law countries, is the unlawful killing of another human being with intent (or malice aforethought), and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide (such as manslaughter).
This is a list of the laws of murder by country. The legal definition of murder varies by country: the laws of different countries deal differently with matters such as mens rea (how the intention on the part of the alleged murderer must be proved for the offence to amount to murder) and sentencing .
The rule of felony murder is a legal doctrine in some common law jurisdictions that broadens the crime of murder: when someone is killed (regardless of intent to kill) in the commission of a dangerous or enumerated crime (called a felony in some jurisdictions), the offender, and also the offender's accomplices or co-conspirators, may be found guilty of murder.
Murder is the most serious crime that can be charged following a homicide. In many jurisdictions, murder may be punished by life in prison or even capital punishment . [ 4 ] Although categories of murder can vary by jurisdiction, murder charges fall under two broad categories , or degrees :