Degrees of Murder

Degrees of Murder
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Degrees of Murder
Murder is a term used in the field of Criminal Law and it basically refers to the act of killing a person by another human being with malice aforethought (McIntyre & McMullan, 2012). Murder can either be implied or express. Murder is therefore expressed in various degrees as follows:
First, we have First Degree Murder that is widely defined as a killing which is unlawful and is both premeditated and willful (Hunt & Rutledge, 2011). It means that the act of killing a person was well planned for prior to the time of execution and therefore characterized by the specific intent of ending a human life. Ambushing and shooting at a person because they wronged you in one way or another, or intentionally poisoning them are examples of first-degree murder. On the other hand, there is Second Degree Murder which is defined as a killing that is deliberate but not planned for nor premeditated (Hunt & Rutledge, 2011). It is a killing resulting from dangerous conduct by the offender and lacking concern for human life. For instance, shooting at a specific target person but unluckily ending up killing a different person is an example of second-degree murder. In other words, second degree murder constitutes: an impulsively done killing without premeditation accompanied by malice aforethought; a killing brought about by an intended act of causing serious harm to...