Second Degree Murder - Law Dictionary Search Results
Home Dictionary Name: second degree murder Page 1 of about 5 results (0.004 seconds)second-degree murder
second-degree murder see murder ...
murder
murder [partly from Old English morthor; partly from Old French murdre, of Germanic origin] the crime of unlawfully and unjustifiably killing another under circumstances defined by statute (as with premeditation) ;esp such a crime committed purposely, knowingly, and recklessly with extreme indifference to human life or during the course of a serious felony (as robbery or rape) compare cold blood, cooling time, homicide, manslaughter NOTE: Self-defense, necessity, and lack of capacity for criminal responsibility (as because of insanity) are defenses to a charge of murder. Most state statutes and the U.S. Code divide murder into two degrees. Florida, Minnesota, and Pennsylvania currently have three degrees of murder. Some states do not assign degrees of murder. [di-pr?vd-h rt-] a murder that is the result of an act which is dangerous to others and shows that the perpetrator has a depraved mind and no regard for human life NOTE: Depraved-heart murder is usually considered second- or...
manslaughter
manslaughter : the unlawful killing of a human being without malice compare homicide, murder involuntary manslaughter : manslaughter resulting from the failure to perform a legal duty expressly required to safeguard human life, from the commission of an unlawful act not amounting to a felony, or from the commission of a lawful act involving a risk of injury or death that is done in an unlawful, reckless, or grossly negligent manner see also reckless homicide at homicide NOTE: The exact formulation of the elements of involuntary manslaughter vary from state to state esp. with regard to the level of negligence required. In states that grade manslaughter by degrees, involuntary manslaughter is usually graded as a second- or third-degree offense. misdemeanor-manslaughter : involuntary manslaughter occurring during the commission of a misdemeanor compare felony murder at murder voluntary manslaughter : manslaughter resulting from an intentional act done without malice or premeditati...
accessory
accessory also ac·ces·sa·ry [ik-se-sə-rē, ak-] n pl: -ries [Medieval Latin accessorius subordinate matter, accomplice to a crime, from Latin accedere to go to, agree, assent] 1 : a person who is not actually or constructively present but with criminal intent contributes as an assistant or instigator to the commission of a felony called also accessory before the fact compare principal in the second degree at principal NOTE: The traditional distinction between accessories before the fact and principals, that accessories were not present and principals were present at the commission of the crime, is not recognized under most modern state statutes. Accessories before the fact are usually considered principals. 2 : a person who knowing that a felony has been committed aids, assists, or shelters the offender with the intent to defeat justice called also accessory after the fact NOTE: Many state statutes now omit the term accessory after the fact and instead c...
Piracy
Piracy [fr. pirata, Lat.], the commission of those acts of robbery and violence upon the sea, which if committed upon land wold amount to felony. Pirates hold no commission or delegated authority from any sovereign or State, empowering them to attack others. They can, therefore, be only regarded in the light of robbers. They are, as Cicero has truly stated, the common enemies of all (communes hostes omnium); and the law of nations gives to every one the right to pursue and exterminate them without any previous declaration of war (see Piracy Jure Gentium, 1934, AC 586, where a frustrated attempt was held to be piracy by that law); but it is not allowed to kill them without trial, except in battle. Those who surrender or are taken prisoners must be brought before the proper magistrates, and dealt with according to law. By the ancient Common Law of England, piracy, if committed by a subject, was held to be a species of treason, being contrary to his natural allegiance; if by an alien, to ...
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