Unlawful killing of a human by another human with malice aforethought. Related tags might be "homicide" or "manslaughter."
Questions tagged [murder]
174 questions
72
votes
9 answers
Why is murder considered a more serious crime than attempted murder?
By its sentencing guidelines (the world over?), murder is considered a more serious crime than attempted murder.
If intent to kill has indeed been proven, does the latter crime reward incompetence with leniency? Shouldn’t the incarceration of such a…
Tom Bowers
- 742
- 1
- 5
- 11
47
votes
5 answers
If a signal person in California tells me to kill someone, do I have to do so?
According to California sample written driving test (problem 6):
You see a signal person at a road construction site ahead. You should obey his or her instructions:
A. Only if you see orange cones on the road ahead.
B. Unless they conflict with…
user8667
- 527
- 1
- 4
- 3
40
votes
4 answers
Can you legally move a dead body to preserve it as evidence?
A fisherman is heading upstream in his boat, and sees a human corpse float past. Obviously even if it wasn't murder, it still warrants a 911 call because it was a death. The river however, is steadily moving the body away.
Can the fisherman move the…
Razmode
- 659
- 6
- 9
40
votes
6 answers
Suppose someone kills more people than they intended. Did they murder the extra people?
If a person sets a bomb in a music festival. Based on previous attendance numbers, they expected 60,000 people to show up. 120,000 people showed up and were killed by their bomb. Legally, did they murder 60,000 people, or all 120,000?
Also, suppose…
moonman239
- 3,076
- 4
- 25
- 42
37
votes
5 answers
What crime is hiring someone to kill you and then killing the hitman?
Suppose that yesterday I was suicidal and decided to hire a hitman on the internet to kill me.
Today, when they turn up, I have changed my mind and defend myself by killing the hitman.
What crime(s) have I committed? This is completely…
Rod
- 547
- 1
- 4
- 6
37
votes
5 answers
Why is it considered terrorism to murder a CEO?
According to this article, Luigi Mangione got charged with terrorism for murdering the CEO. I am not sure why this murder can - under US law - be considered an act of terrorism.
Here is a relevant page from NY penal law that defines terrorism:
A…
Jimmy Yang
- 501
- 1
- 2
- 8
35
votes
8 answers
Pregnant spouse slipped abortion pills unknowingly. What would the legal ramifications be?
Suppose a partner to a pregnant woman gave her an abortion pill which successfully aborted the pregnancy. Suppose that this was done in a non-violent way, unbeknownst to the woman.
One could argue this is murder, however, if the woman took the…
Phil
- 383
- 1
- 3
- 3
31
votes
5 answers
Am I allowed to kill a person threatening me? CA, USA
You are riding a public transit train and out of nowhere a man with blue jeans takes out a P99 semiautomatic pistol and takes the passengers hostage. Luckily you have a knife on you. But you don't know whether it is legal to kill a person under such…
Ashley Madison
- 319
- 1
- 3
- 3
28
votes
6 answers
Convicted for murder and "victim" found alive
In two works of fiction I read or saw, a person was convicted for murder when the victim was actually alive. (In one case, not quite alive - police take finger prints of an unknown 30 year old woman, freshly murdered, and finds that they match a 16…
gnasher729
- 35,915
- 2
- 51
- 94
27
votes
4 answers
Is it true that a teacher can't engage/attack a shooter from behind during a school shooting that is in progress?
I have a cousin who is a teacher and a few years ago we had a long discussion about school shootings and part of this discussion was about what teachers can and cannot do during a school shooting that is in progress.
One thing she told me is that…
user39281
26
votes
2 answers
How does the Federal government have jurisdiction to charge Luigi Mangione?
It's my understanding that the Federal government can only file murder charges on a small subset of murders, like murders of Federal agents or on Federal property. With that in mind, how can the Federal government charge Luigi Mangione with murder?…
Ryan_L
- 3,973
- 2
- 22
- 36
25
votes
8 answers
If someone stops a potential murder by subduing a gunman, what would be the possible consequences?
I'm writing a story and I wanted some accuracy on this matter, specifically for the consequences on the person to whom this would happen.
Imagine an off-duty security guard, while walking home, finds a man pointing a gun at an unarmed man and child.…
SuperYoshikong
- 359
- 3
- 5
25
votes
7 answers
Can I be charged for murder if I throw peanuts at someone who has a severe peanut allergy and they die as a result of that?
Assuming I already knew that they had a peanut allergy, and my intention was to hurt them, but not necessarily to kill them.
Elie El Khoury
- 353
- 1
- 3
- 6
24
votes
5 answers
What happens if I shoot a police officer in self-defense during a SWAT raid?
No-knock SWAT raids are very popular, especially in the US. But how do you know that the heavily armed persons are policemen? Isn't it very easy to mistake them for robbers? What if I try to defend myself and my family and start shooting, killing…
Grunzwanzling
- 443
- 1
- 3
- 9
22
votes
3 answers
Can someone be charged with the murder of unidentified victims?
I've been watching "Des", ITV's dramatisation of the arrest and trial of serial killer Dennis Nielsen. The police seem desperate to identify the names of the victims, despite having the bodies of the victims and ample evidence of Nielsen's guilt. …
Statsanalyst
- 695
- 1
- 6
- 12