Whenever someone dies, the first thing that comes to mind is how it happened. If the death is not due to natural causes, there will be speculations about foul play. Until formal investigations are done, this is the idea that will be floating in the heads of many people. If the results do show that there’s much more to what has been seen, then they will have to dig further into it so that those responsible will be put to justice.
It is going to be a difficult time for the family of the victim. For this instance, they can seek the assistance of a wrongful death lawyer in Long Beach. This will be the person who can guide them about the rights and claims that they can file related to the victim’s death.
In the world of law, wrongful deaths fall under the umbrella of homicide. This is a topic that is not quite black and white in its definitions.
Homicide Defined
Homicide can be defined as the act of a person taking another one’s life. This is putting it in broad terms. There are many criminal acts that you can put under this definition. Law tends to be specific on the details, and it will look at it from many angles. The whole context would include factors such as the motives, situation, and state of mind of the perpetrator.
Acts with Motives
When it comes to criminal acts involving death and motives, murder probably comes to mind first. This is a crime where the perpetrator had an actual plan and desire to kill another person and is successful in doing so. This is a violent act that deserves the highest form of punishment. Depending on the state, that could be death or life imprisonment.
Just because there is intent to take another’s life does not equate it to murder. Voluntary manslaughter is such a case. This is where, due to specific circumstances or situations, the perpetrator was forced to do an action that resulted in someone’s death.
Involuntary Acts
Another form of manslaughter is the involuntary one. This is where the perpetrator causes another person to die because of reckless behavior. There may not be any intention to kill, but the perpetrator still needs to be put to justice, as this is an act brought upon by irresponsibility. People should always be aware of how their behavior affects others.
People can also die due to the negligence of others. Imagine yourself as an elevator technician in a building. You are supposed to put on a sign for when there are repairs being done. If you forget to do this and cause someone to fall to their death, you can be charged with negligent homicide.
Wrongful deaths are indeed unfortunate. It would be painful to think about, knowing that they could have somehow been prevented. Those driven to commit these violent acts could have been stopped. For these cases, the long arm of justice will try its best to reach the people responsible and serve them their rightful punishments.
