Questions tagged [manslaughter]
The act of a human killing another human, in a manner considered by law less culpable than murder.
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How to interpret the requirement for danger in the definition of manslaughter?
In the UK, unlawful act manslaughter requires the defendant to:
(a) do an unlawful act;
(b) that is dangerous; and
(c) which causes the victim’s death.
My question relates to requirement b on ...
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Can Sherlock Holmes be convicted of killing Dr. Grimesby Roylott?
Inspired by The Adventure of the Speckled Band. The following description contains SPOILERS.
Near the end of the story, Dr. Roylott sends a venomous snake down a rope with Holmes on the other end. ...
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Why isn't abortion premeditated murder?
If a person has been drinking and has a accident in a car and the passenger is 4 months pregnant and loses her unborn child, that's involuntary manslaughter.
So how come when a healthy 4 month ...
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Why doesn't double jeopardy apply in this case where a woman was convicted of attempted murder, then manslaughter when the victim died years later?
There's an article in today's news about a woman who pleaded "no contest" to attempted murder in 1985 after allegedly shaking a child and causing him serious injury. In 2019 the child, now ...
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Is it illegal to report a crime at an opportune moment for profit?
In the movie "Nightcrawler (2014)", MC video-tapes crimes (to submit to news outlets for money). MC sees some murderous criminals commit a crime, identifies them, and lets them leave. Then ...
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Does speeding turn an accident into manslaughter?
Assume a person is driving down a posted 40mph road, but doing considerably over the speed limit, say 60-70mph. A person on the pavement trips and falls in front of the speeding car, is hit, and dies. ...
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When a hostage is in the balance, how much is one expected to comply before they face legal trouble? [closed]
Terry the Terrorist has Holly as a Hostage at gunpoint. Bob the random Bystander happens to be there, and Terry starts making demands of him (else Terry will kill the hostage). Let's also say that ...
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In US, if I trick a person into knocking a wrong door and the homeowner shoots them to death, what crime would I commit?
Let me start by saying that I'm not a US citizen nor living in the US (I live in a country where guns are illegal), and I'm not familiar with the difference between the gun laws in different states. ...
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If I deliberately kill someone in self-defence, but my prior unlawful actions provoked the fight, is that involuntary act manslaughter?
Suppose I steal from someone whom I know to be a violent criminal, and the next day they hunt me down and try to kill me in revenge, and I defend myself by stabbing them to death. Suppose further that ...
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Can a person legally consent to being killed by someone else? [duplicate]
I am referring to rare instances of 'mercy killing.' For example, a family member in the hospital, stricken with a terminal illness, asking a loved one to administer a lethal dose of morphine, or an ...
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Can accomplices in the same crime have contact before trial/during jail time?
This is just pure curiosity. Under UK law can two people who are charged with the same crime (that they supposedly committed together) have contact with each other?
Fictional case: a woman and her ...
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Was this a case of negligent homicide, and have any other offences been committed here?
Disclaimer: I do not aim to take a position on the ethics of this situation with this question. This question, and all details of the hypothetical case at hand, merely arose from a discussion I ...
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May putting others at peril worsen the sentence?
Bob the Burglar specializes in fencing of stolen safety equipment (fire extinguishers, AEDs, etc.).
One night, he breaks into a factory and steals the fire extinguishers and a fire hose. The theft is ...
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Could you be charged with manslaughter for obstructing an ambulance?
There was a recent incident in London that has been all over the news where protesters blocked a road and eventually ended up blocking an ambulance. It was stated that they were aware of the ambulance ...
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Is attempted manslaughter a real crime?
Is there such thing as being charged with attempted manslaughter? During a scene of a movie where they're reading out another character's rap sheet they mention 'attempted manslaughter'. As I ...
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Is defending oneself from a sexual assult a defence for murder?
A man forces himself on a woman with no threats of violence, no deadly weapon and he doesn't even hit her, he simply just physically overpowers her. This occurs in the kitchen and she is able to grab ...
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Does the guilt of the victim affect the validity of a crime of passion
I just watched the movie 'A Time To Kill'. If you don't know it, it is about the trial of a man who kills the 2 men that violently raped and assulted his daughter. In the end, he was found innocent by ...
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legality of the trolley problem [duplicate]
There's this hypothetical scenario (sometimes referred to as the trolley problem) that people refer to as an ethical conundrum. It goes something like:
There's a train heading down the track where it ...
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If a 12 year old child uses his mother's car without her consent
A 12 year old child uses his parent's car without her consent. He loses control over the steering wheel and hits his twin brother, which causes his brother's death.
In this case, who is held ...
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What are you guilty of if you convince someone else to commit murder?
Asking about the law in America... What crimes is a person guilty of if they convince or sweet-talk someone else into committing a murder for them? Are they an accessory or guilty of murder?
Cases ...
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What does the law say if I push the fat man off the bridge in a trolley problem?
The original Trolley Problem is stated as:
There is a runaway trolley barreling down the railway tracks. Ahead, on the tracks, there are five people tied up and unable to move. The trolley is headed ...
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Could these facts lead to a conviction for manslaughter or other crimes?
Here are the facts:
A person (A), an adolescent, posts a poll on his Instagram story. It asks ‘Should I kill myself?’ The options are ‘yes’ and ‘no’.
Forty people vote on the poll. Only four people ...
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Does it constitute murder if the attempted murder fails but the victim dies anyway as a side effect of the attacker's actions?
For example, suppose an attacker is chasing a victim with a knife and the intention to kill. While running away, the victim falls, hitting their head, and dies.
Assuming there is clear evidence for ...
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Ashli Babbitt: manslaughter vs. deprivation of rights under color of law
Note if you wish to discuss the following questions, rather than make a constructive criticism of the question or answer, I've setup this stack exchange chatroom for discussions. If you have an ...
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Why might a subset of victims represent the total pool of victims in a criminal court?
In 1942 the Coconut Club in Boston Massachusetts caught fire in the second deadliest fire in United States history. The overcrowded club had sealed emergency exits and was filled drastically beyond ...
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Charged with death of self?
This is a hypothetical question, but I can use current news as an example.
In some jurisdictions, I believe an arsonist can be charged with manslaughter if a fireman dies while fighting the fire, even ...
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If a bystander has no legal obligation to help, can they dissuade others from doing so?
Hitler* is walking down the street. Suddenly he has a heart attack and collapses.
Alice sees this. She considers calling 911 or giving CPR but realises it's Hitler and decides not to. Bob also sees ...
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Is blocking someone from getting a vaccine illegal?
If a vaccine has a definite proven effect in protecting someone from getting a deadly disease, is blocking them from accessing the vaccine illegal? What laws would be broken?
I'm reading several news ...
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Is this scenario illegal or just immoral?
Imagine a sociopath (let's call him A) and has his fun by playing with depressive people, especially B.
One day, B asks A if he can obtain potassium cyanide capsules for commiting suicide. A replies ...
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Dominic Cummings Trip to Barnard Castle - Manslaughter?
The UK government's cheif advisor took a trip to Barnard Castle in the middle of a nationwide lockdown. A clearly illegal act.
As a result of this, many people are choosing to flout lockdown rules ...
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Did Cliff Booth commit crime by killing Tex and Katie?
In Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Cliff Booth defends himself and his friends from intruders Tex, Sadie and Katie (the Manson Family killers).
First, Tex fails to shoot Cliff as Cliff's dog takes Tex ...
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Is a pedestrian crossing on red light responsible if a driver steers away from them, killing someone else?
Suppose that a car is going fast towards an intersection right when a pedestrian decides to cross it on a red light. The driver, out of reflex, steers away from the pedestrian to avoid hitting him. ...
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Is it considered homicide if an armed robber causes an accidental death? (WV, USA)
My friend posted me this scenario:
An armed man robs a bank. As he's exiting the building, he accidentally bumps into a lady, and her gun misfires, resulting in her hitting her femoral artery and ...
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Why isn't voluntary manslaughter punished equally to murder?
I can't wrap my head around the fact that in many legal systems, the punishment for "voluntary manslaughter" (or similar) is different than the punishment for "first degree murder" (or similar).
Some ...
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Marshae Jones' case: Manslaughter when shot, would it make a difference when baby was born?
This is very specific to the reported case of Marshae Jones, from what I learned in the article from The Guardian: Alabama: pregnant woman shot in stomach is charged in fetus's death
The given ...
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MMA Fighter knowingly slays their opponent with a legal hit, is it manslaughter
In an american MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) sanctioned match, one fighter executes a newly created technique, we'll call it the "five-point palm exploding heart technique" upon their opponent. Said ...
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Manslaughter or Negligence -does not inform all risks in surgery which results in death of a patient
Is manslaughter a potential legal consequence of treating a patient without obtaining a valid consent?
i.e. A surgeon does not inform all the risks involved in the surgery to a patient, causing a ...
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Can daring someone to a dangerous act be considered manslaughter?
Last year there was a teen sentenced for manslaughter in Massachusetts for texting, calling, and encouraging her then boyfriend to commit suicide over several months; at one point telling him to ...
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Are martial artists held to a different standard?
At the beginning of the movie Con Air, the main character is presented as an ex-Green Beret who is attacked by 3 people outside a bar. He defends himself and his pregnant wife during the fight until ...
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How is sentencing determined for involuntary manslaughter with multiple victims?
How does sentencing work in cases where someone is found guilty of involuntary manslaughter where there were multiple victims? For example, someone causes a serious construction accident by negligence,...
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Is there a time limit on manslaughter charges?
Summary:
Is there any automatic liability for death by health complications caused by someone already charged for causing the complication?
I'm aware charges can be revisited but does it have to be ...
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Can one person be charged for producing the (inherently dangerous and possibly contraband) murder tool used by someone else?
If Person A manufactured a poison, and it was given to somebody else by Person B, without Person A's knowledge, what could Person A be charged with?
I am writing a novel for NaNoWriMo and I have set ...
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Is there liability for accidental deaths of astronauts?
I read about the death of an astronaut in an exploding rocket; I don't know if it was recent or not.
Would the developers of this shuttle have been subject to any legal action, or would it be ignored ...
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If a thief breaks in, gets hit on the head in a struggle and dies - is it involuntary manslaughter?
I have been reading and seeing some fiction where it was shown that a thief breaks into a house, steals, he is caught in the act, in the struggle, there is a blow to the head and the thief dies. The ...
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Kid left in hot car: What main legal factors affect if charges are brought?
If a kid gets left in a hot car (e.g. because the caretaker forgets), the kid can die. Serious criminal charges are sometimes brought against the caretaker (or caretakers, plural)...
even if the car ...
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Legal implications of this prank going horribly wrong?
I remembered coming across this comic from Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal.
In this comic, Tommy replaces his boss' gun with a fake that just shoots out a "Bang!" flag. Later, he breaks into his ...
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What is the difference between "murder", "manslaughter" and "homicide"?
Do "murder", "manslaughter" and "homicide" have different legal definitions? Or are they just terms referring to the same act used in different jurisdictions?
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