The killing of another human being is categorized in many ways. It varies from if you intended to kill the person to you accidentally kill the person and every possible angle around that. No matter what the reason, you will need to go to court so a judge and jury of your peers can determine which kind of killing it was and what to do about it. There are different degrees of murder, defensive homicide, manslaughter and homicide for a judge/jury to take into account when viewing the evidence of your case. How a court will classify a killing also differs in every part of the world.

Murder in Degrees

There are different degrees of murder. There is first degree and second degree. Some places even have third degree. First degree murder is the worst form of murder. It means the killing was premeditated. This means you planned to kill the person. Second degree murder is the second worst form of murder. This means you didn't plan to kill the person, but you willingly killed them when the opportunity arose. This could mean that you got into an argument with the person and decided right there that you were going to kill them.

Defending Gone Wrong

Defensive or Justified homicide means you killed someone in self defense. This may mean a friend or family member attacked you and by defending yourself, you killed them. This may also happen if someone breaks into your home or is following you on the street. Sometimes your only defense is to strike back.

Tragedies Happen

Manslaughter is how they classify it if you accidentally kill someone. This can happen anywhere from hunting in the woods and accidentally shooting a person to pushing someone into the lake where they hit their head and die. Your actions are in no way malicious and you don't intend to kill the person. This can also happen when you're overcome with anger and hit or push someone and those actions cause the person to die. You didn't mean to kill them.

Don't be Negligent

Negligent homicide is when you kill someone by being negligent. This type of homicide often times occurs from within a vehicle. It happens a lot by people running a red light or stop sign and hitting a pedestrian crossing the street. It also occurs quite often by people carelessly driving well above the speed limit and not following traffic laws which causes them to another car or causes another car to hit them. While it may be an accident, it is still a crime and people need to make sure they're being careful when operating a motor vehicle.

So whatever happened to end someone's life that isn't a natural cause should be classified in one of the categories above. This includes first and second degree murders, defensive homicide, manslaughter and negligent homicide. No matter what the cause, we can all agree that the killing of a human being isn't something to be taken lightly and that is why you are required to go to court to figure out the consequences of your actions, whether they were intended or not.