You may have heard the terms manslaughter and murder used interchangeably before. But you must understand that the New Jersey criminal code outlines clear distinctions between these two types of violent criminal offenses. Without further ado, please read on to discover the comparisons that can be drawn between the two and how a seasoned Morris County violent crime lawyer at Macri Law Firm can work to get either accusation against you dropped in an instant.
What is the difference between manslaughter and murder in New Jersey?
Simply put, the New Jersey criminal court may determine whether you are guilty of manslaughter or murder based on your intent behind your alleged actions. On the one hand, manslaughter either involves the reckless causing of death or death occurring without the specific intent to kill. On the other hand, murder entails the purposeful or knowing cause of death to another individual or otherwise causes serious bodily injury that results in their death. With that, manslaughter is usually charged as a second-degree offense, while murder is a first-degree crime.
What are the different types of manslaughter and murder offenses?
Based on the recounted circumstances surrounding the incident, the New Jersey criminal court may either rule that you committed aggravated manslaughter, reckless manslaughter, or passion/provocation manslaughter. Below are more specific descriptions of each criminal offense:
- Aggravated manslaughter: this is if you cause the death of another individual after exhibiting extreme indifference to human life, or while fleeing or attempting to elude law enforcement.
- Reckless manslaughter: otherwise referred to as involuntary manslaughter, this occurs if you cause the death of another individual unintentionally but through your objectively negligent behavior.
- Passion/provocation manslaughter: otherwise referred to as voluntary manslaughter, this occurs if you were provoked by circumstances that would cause a reasonable person to lose self-control and act in the heat of passion.
To reiterate, the court may charge you with purposeful/knowing murder if you intended to cause another individual’s death or serious bodily injury that ended in death. Or otherwise, performing actions you would reasonably know to result in death or injuries leading to death.
However, the court may have grounds to upgrade your charge to a felony murder. This is if you caused the death of another individual while committing or attempting to commit another type of felony offense. Examples of such felony offenses include robbery, burglary, arson, kidnapping, sexual assault, etc. Obviously, this correlates to heightened criminal punishments.
Do not let your legal initiatives stop after reading this blog. The next action you should take is calling us at Macri Law Firm and retaining the services of a competent Morris County, New Jersey criminal defense lawyer. Rest assured, we will take the reins from here on out.