Article: Homicide

For other uses, see Homicide (disambiguation).

Etymology: Latin homicidium, from homo- human being + caedere- to cut, kill

Homicide is the intentional or negligent killing of another human being by one or more persons. It can also refer to a person who has committed such an act, though this use is rare in modern English. In contrast, suicide is the self killing of a human being. The word is often misspelled as homocide, which is also a slang term for killing homosexuals. Killing individuals one after the other is called serial killing. Although the word "homicide" literally means "killing a human being," society often uses the word only to describe it when unlawful. Many do not view killings by state-executioners as homicides. However, California currently has a ban on executions because medical professionals choose not to participate, apparently honoring their Hippocratic Oath. In the current war on terror, the line between homicide and accident may become blurred so that the word "homicide" may take on a different meaning. On the other hand, "genocide," the term for the homicide of an entire race or class of people, occurred often during World War II.

Legally, homicide is classified as the following crimes and types:

• murder/murder in English law
• manslaughter/manslaughter in English law
  • voluntary manslaughter
  • involuntary manslaughter
• homicide
  • culpable homicide (in Scots law)
  • negligent homicide (in some criminal jurisdictions)
    • reckless manslaughter
    • mere negligence
  • justifiable homicide
  • legal homicide
• infanticide
• fratricide
• causing death by dangerous driving
• genocide

Defenses against the crime of homicide, where the identity of the killer is not in dispute, include insanity, self-defense (theory), defense of others and the partial defences of provocation (and provocation in English law) and diminished responsibility (and diminished responsibility in English law). Defense of property is not per se a defense against homicide in most jurisdictions, although it has been argued that a homicide where self-defense becomes necessary as a result of undertaking defense of property should be justified.

All murders are homicides, but not all homicides are murders.

Different cultures foster different types of homicide. Poisoning is more common in Japan, for example, the government of which strictly regulates firearm possession and the culture of which encourages silence. The most common form of homicide in America, by contrast, is with a gun.

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