1.Look up Massachusetts law and cite any Massachusetts statutes that address whether words can serve as adequate provocation in a manslaughter case.Should words be able to serve as adequate provocation to reduce murder to manslaughter?

Word alone can't be serve as ad

2.

Discuss the common law rules of homicide.

Homicide is defined as the killing of one human being by

another.

The law of criminal homicide attempts to answer the

following questions: Is it first degree or second-degree murder? Is it

murder or manslaughter? Is it voluntary or involuntary

manslaughter? Why does it matter how the questions above are

answered? It matters because the penalty is different depending on what

type of criminal homicide was committed.

3.

Compare and contrast voluntary and involuntary manslaughter.

Voluntary manslaughter is when the act of murder is committed in either the heat of passion or a self-defense.

Involuntary Manslaughter

There are two kinds of involuntary manslaughter:

1. Unlawful act manslaughter - This type of

manslaughter occurs during the commission of unlawful acts (such as speeding or

drunk driving)

2. Criminal negligence manslaughter - This occurs

when the defendant's mental state is reckless (meaning the defendant is aware

of the risk of death or serious bodily injury) and their actions cause a high

risk of death or serious bodily injury all crimes. Crimes against property

4.

Discuss current law of the actus reus and mens rea of murder. Please give

examples.

1. Actus reus - the act of killing

2. Mens rea - the mental state that the person had

when they committed the murder. (One of the following mental states:

purpose, knowledge, recklessness, or negligence.)

5.

Most states today have four main types of criminal homicide. Define and

discuss these and provide examples of each