Manslaughter

Manslaughter is the unlawful killing of another person committed without the malice aforethought that defines murder, covering killings the law treats as culpable homicide but of a lesser degree of moral blameworthiness. Most jurisdictions divide the offense into voluntary manslaughter, an intentional killing committed in the heat of passion after adequate legal provocation, and involuntary manslaughter, an unintentional killing caused by reckless or criminally negligent conduct, such as a fatal act of gross carelessness that falls short of an intent to kill or seriously harm. The distinction between manslaughter and murder, and between voluntary and involuntary manslaughter within it, turns heavily on the defendant's mental state and the surrounding circumstances, making it one of the most fact-intensive and frequently contested classifications in homicide prosecutions. Sentencing for manslaughter is generally substantially lower than for murder, reflecting the reduced culpability the law attributes to a killing committed without the specific intent or extreme indifference to life that murder requires.