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	Yoong Liat  [More info] What is the difference between 'homicide' and 'murder'? Is there a difference in British and American usage with regard to this term? Thanks in advance. Yoong Liat+0 Joined on Mon, Sep 4 2006 Veteran Member 6,767

	+1 Clive  [More info] Hi, What is the difference between 'homicide' and 'murder'? Is there a difference in British and American usage with regard to this term? A lawyer should really answer this. I'm not a lawyer, but here are a couple of comments. homicide - Focuses on the killing of a human being, in the same way that 'fratricide' focuses on killing one's brother, 'suicide' on killing one's self, etc. Homicide is not necessarily a crime. If a police officer kills someone who shoots first at him, this is not illegal, not murder. 'Justifiable homicide' is the phrase I often hear.  murder - Focuses on the unlawful killing of a human being. Involves some degree of premeditation or intention (first degree and second degree murder, murder in cold blood or in hot blood). Careless, accidental killing is 'manslaughter' rather than 'murder'. I look forward to a lawyer's more detailed explanation. Best wishes, Clive  Clive+27 Joined on Thu, Oct 28 2004 Canada Veteran Member 35,920 El tango argentino es un pensamiento triste que se puede bailar (The tango argentino is a sad thought which can be danced) Enrique Santos Discépolo

	+1 Yoong Liat  [More info] Hi Clive Thanks for the explanation. I agree with what you've said. What prompted me to ask this question is because my student asked me for the definition of 'homicide'. After explaining to him, I referred to his dictionary to make sure, and was surprised by what I read. It states that 'homicide' is AmE and 'murder' is BrE or maybe the other way round. I cannot remember which is which. Yoong Liat+0

	+1 julielai  [More info]  Clive wrote: homicide - Focuses on the killing of a human being, in the same way that 'fratricide' focuses on killing one's brother, 'suicide' on killing one's self, etc. Homicide is not necessarily a crime. If a police officer kills someone who shoots first at him, this is not illegal, not murder. 'Justifiable homicide' is the phrase I often hear.  murder - Focuses on the unlawful killing of a human being. Involves some degree of premeditation or intention (first degree and second degree murder, murder in cold blood or in hot blood). Careless, accidental killing is 'manslaughter' rather than 'murder'. Same usage here in the U.S. julielai+9 Joined on Sun, Oct 24 2004 Senior Member 3,907 Just another blogger (http://hk.myblog.yahoo.com/julie-lai)

	+1 Feebs11  [More info] As I understand it, "homicide" is the blanket term for any form of unlawful killing. Within homicide are sub-terms : murder [killing with malice - planned and intentional killing] and  manslaughter [unlawful killing without malice or premeditation] or culpable homicide [used in Scotland - killing as the result of improper conduct]. Recent legislation has made changes to these definitions, but essentially you can say that homicide and murder are synonymous. Feebs11+0 Joined on Thu, Nov 23 2006 UK Veteran Member 5,006

	+1 Yoong Liat  [More info] In Singapore, if someone is found guilty of murder, he or she will be sentenced to death by hanging. In the case of 'homicide', it will be a long prison term. Yoong Liat+0

	+1 Feebs11  [More info] It seems that in Singapore, the term "homicide" is being used where in Britain we would use either manslaughter or culpable homicide. Feebs11+0

	+1 Kathrin  [More info] The answer of the original question depends on the jurisdictions. In some jurisdictions homocide includes various murders like falony murder and capital murder and therefore it is the wider term, which explains why they are used sometimes synonymosly.  Maybe you should limit the question to Singapore or to the further jurisdictions of interest? In Germany they are not synonym but it would take too long to explain Kathrin+0 Joined on Fri, May 11 2007 Full Member 152 Is it me or is it the universe? It could be the universe but I am not sure thus I have been still wondering and drinking tea. However, the tea is getting cold.

	+1 Yoong Liat  [More info] In Singapore, I read in the newspaper "culpable homicide not amounting to murder". Is this term used in America or Britain? Yoong Liat+0