Murder

Murder v. Homicide Defined

Homicide, by simple definition, is the killing of one human being by another. Murder is a form of criminal homicide. A person is guilty of criminal homicide if he/she purposely, knowingly, recklessly, or negligently causes the death of another human being. Other forms of criminal homicide are manslaughter and negligent homicide.

There are two sets of definitions when classifying varying categories of homicide. There are common law definitions, and model penal code definitions. Definitions under common law are first-degree murder, second-degree murder, voluntary manslaughter, and involuntary manslaughter. Under the model penal code, there is murder, voluntary murder, manslaughter, and negligent homicide.

Missouri Murder News

In January of this year in Lampe, Missouri, an older couple was the victim of a possibly burglary-gone-wrong. Paul Brooks, 70, and his wife Margaret, 69, were both stabbed and bludgeoned to death in their home. The assailants were two teens who had recently ran away from a local Christian youth camp for at-risk teens. Chris Allen, 15, and his accomplice Anthony Zarro, 16, had broken into a vacant home near the Brooks' residence. After what appears to have been a few days of occupying the empty vacation home, the boys broke into the Brooks' home and attacked the elderly couple. The crime is understandably portrayed as a senseless act of violence against an innocent older couple. The article by mlive.com doesn't go into much detail, but there is clearly no sympathy for the young killers. The two boys are charged with first-degree murder, armed criminal action, and felony burglary. The most interesting part of this case is how the teens were apprehended. a neighbor heard the commotion and was able to hold the two attackers at gunpoint until authorities arrived on scene. Had this not occurred, the crime may have gone unsolved. Video from Channel 5 KSDK can be seen below.





Media

The book Inside the Mind of a Teen Killer by author Phil Chalmers is an anti-violence project aimed at drawing attention the shocking crimes committed by teens. The book chronicles several teen killers and the despicable acts they carried out. Of particular interest in this book are the explanations why these killers did what they did.

Serial murder in particular is a very interesting topic and has been growing in popularity (if you can call it that) in recent decades. One of my favorite TV shows, Dexter, is definitely worth checking out if you haven't seen it. The show follows blood spatter analyst Dexter Morgan, a serial killer who targets other killers and unsavory types, as he leads a harrowing double life on both sides of the law. The show doesn't offer much in terms of realistic criminal investigations but the entertainment value is up there.