法律英语每日一词15-Homicide

Homicide ['hɒmɪsaɪd] n.    杀人

一、释义

1）The killing of one person by another.

2)  Someone who kills another

"The legal term for killing a man, whether lawfully or unlawfully, is 'homicide.'There is no crime of 'homicide.' Unlawful homicide at common law comprises the two crimes of murder and manslaughter. Other forms of lawful homicide have been created by statute: certain new forms of manslaughter homicide with diminished responsibility, and suicide pacts), infanticide, and causing death by dangerous driving."  Glanville Williams, Textbook of Criminal Law 204 (1978).

指一人导致或促使他人死亡的一般用语。该词是中性词，只描述客观行为，而对其道德或法律性质并没有做出判断。杀人并不必然构成犯罪，在依法执行死刑、自卫以及作为追捕逃犯的唯一可能手段时，杀人是合法的。但如果一人蓄意、明智、轻率或疏忽致使他人死亡的，该人则犯有杀人罪。

二、词组精选

criminal homicide   杀人罪

1）Homicide prohibited and punishable by law, such as murder or manslaughter.

2) The act of purposely, knowingly, recklessly, or negligently causing the death of another human being.

指行为人给予他人致命伤后的一年零一天内导致受害人死亡，从而非法剥夺他人生命。如果行为人具有法定的明示或默示的恶意，则构成谋杀罪【murder】；如果行为人不具有恶意，则构成非预谋杀人罪【manslaughter】。

构成以上任何一种犯罪必须具备以下两个条件：1）人身伤害必须导致剥夺了他人生命，而不论七七严重程度如何；2）人身伤害必须持续的影响受害人的身体状况直至其死亡，而不能因为其他的原因导致受害人死亡。

culpable homicide    应受惩罚的杀人罪         Cf. manslaughter

Scots law. A wrongful act that results in a person's death but does not amount to murder. 

在苏格兰法律中，是指尚未达到谋杀罪【murder】程度的杀人罪。杀人罪包括应受惩罚的故意杀人【voluntary culpable homicide】和应受惩罚的过失杀人【involuntary culpable homicide】两种。

excusable homicide  可免责的杀人

1) Homicide resulting from a person's lawful act, committed without intention to harm another.

2)  see justifiable homicide

指行为人从事法律并不禁止的行为时，由于某种原因而造成了杀人的后果，行为人可以免负罪责。 可免除罪责的杀人有两种情况：一种是意外事故杀人【homicide per infortunium】;一种是行为人进行正当防卫而杀人【homicide se defendendo】。

felonious homicide  恶意杀人

Homicide committed unlawfully, without legal justification or excuse.

无正当理由而实施的杀人行为，属于谋杀【murder】和非预谋杀人【manslaughter】的范畴。

homicide per infortunium   意外杀人    =homicide by misfortune

The unintentional killing of another while engaged in a lawful act;

justifiable homicide  正当杀人        =excusable homicide

1)  The killing of another in self-defense when faced with the danger of death or serious bodily injury.

2)  A killing mandated or permitted by the law, such as execution for a capital crime or killing to prevent a crime or a criminal's escape.

指面临死亡或重伤的危险时，实施正当防卫而杀死侵害者的行为；也指法律允许其杀死他人而行为人无罪的情形，如：对死刑犯执行死刑，有关官员在防止犯罪发生或罪犯逃脱的过程中所为的杀人行为。

negligent homicide       过失杀人 =  criminal negligent homicide

Homicide resulting from the careless performance of a legal or illegal act in which the danger of death is apparent; the killing of a human being by criminal negligence.

当疏忽造成他人死亡的直接近因时的刑事犯罪行为是过失杀人，行为人没有明显的杀人意图。

reckless homicide   轻率过失杀人

The unlawful killing of another person with conscious indifference toward that person's life.

指行为人意识到其行为具有引起他人死亡的危险，仍冒险实施这种行为，导致他人死亡。美国有些州将之归于非预谋杀人罪【manslaughter】。

(来源：Black's Law Dictionary，《元照英美法词典》，《英汉法律用语词典》）