Homicide is defined as the killing of one human being by another. Homicide comes from the Latin word homicidium, literally "to kill another being". It should important to note that while all forms of murder are homicides, not all forms of homicides are murders. Homicide includes murder, manslaughter, premeditated murder, and so on.
A homicide is considered unlawful where there is malice involved in the killing. The killing may be called a voluntary manslaughter or involuntary manslaughter if there is no malice involved. ‘Culpable’ homicide means that the person is indirectly involved in the crime, but did not commit it himself.
There are certain defenses provided by the law for those who are charged with homicide. One may plead insanity to the crime. This means that the person who committed the crime was not in full control of his or her faculties at the time of the killing. This usually requires certification by a qualified psychiatrist. An accused can also plead self-defense. This means that the death resulted in a struggle as the defendant was saving himself from harm by the deceased. The death resulted accidentally during the course of the struggle.
These defenses could mitigate any sentence or could totally acquit the accused.
If you are accused of homicide, you need a good criminal defense lawyer to represent you. These lawyers gather all the information about the case, and then act accordingly. Since your lawyer is your closest companion in such a case, you should tell him all the facts truthfully.
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