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Murder, also known as Homicide, is defined as the "unlawful and intentional killing of a human being by another with malice of aforethought." The maximum penalty for murder can be life imprisonment and, in jurisdictions with Capital Punishment, the death penalty may be imposed!
First Degree Murder requries that there has been premeditation and deliberation. This is the most serious type of murder offense. Some states call for the Death Penalty if certain conditions called "special circumstances" are met, such as the killing of a police officer.
Second Degree Murder or the related crime of Voluntary Manslaughter describes killing without premeditiation. This is sometimes known as a murder in the "heat of passion."
Involuntary Manslaughter, sometimes known as Criminally Negligent Homicide, refers to the unintentional killing of another person as the result of reckless behavior, criminal negligence or the committing of a low level crime such as drunk driving.
Violent crimes are taken very seriously and typically involve prison terms and high bail amounts -- or even no bail amounts. The stakes are higher in violent crimes than in almost any other type of criminal charges.
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