Second-degree murder may best be viewed as the middle ground between 1st. Degree murder and voluntary manslaughter. The difference in 1st and 2nd degree murder is 1st degree deals with: premeditation, malice aforethought, and accidental deaths caused by crimes. second degree murder deals with 3 main topics: impulsive killings with malice aforethought, killings after an act intended to cause serious bodily harm, and killings resulting from a depraved indifference to human life. A unnamed 16-year-old was convicted with 2nd. Degree murder for stabbing then 18-year-old Amanjanea Whitley. The young teenager claimed that the killing was out of self defense, but the judge claimed this to be folly out of the girl choosing to fight Ms. …show more content…
In order for an individual to be convicted he or she would have to commit a horrific crime such as murder. First degree murder is the next to highest punishment for crime where the offender receives large amounts of prison time like a life sentence to capital punishment. Individuals can be convicted of this crime if they had planned to kill or harm the victim or victims with full knowledge of what they are doing. Second degree murder is where a person can kill with a heat of passion that has plan in advance or possibly know at the time what he or she was doing. Capital murder, 1st degree, and 2nd degree murder is evenly defined to the crime a person commits in the American Justice