Homicide

Homicide

Introduction

Homicide is the killing of a human being by the human being. Earlier on homicide also included suicide but it has now changed to the killing of a human being by another human being. The criminal homicide is unjustified. There are many classifications of homicide that comes under the Massachusetts law. In this era the convictions can have the basis of knowing, purposeful, reckless or negligent causing of killing, Excusable homicide is another type of homicide. First degree murder is one of them, which is the act of murder that is carried out on the deliberate and willingness to kill purpose (Montaldo, n.d). Murders are also divided into grades, which may involve fault but cannot be criminal homicide. Manslaughter grades are very much same as of murder. The purpose of the study is to integrate the case of Rodney Alcala with the act of homicide and the trend in America for homicide.

Discussion

The act of homicide

There are some functional components of the offenders to successful while committing a crime. This is represented by the term modus operandi (M.O). This was used to link the cases as the offenders may use similar ways when committing the crime. M.O may include factors for instance the location which an offender chooses to roll, time of the day, victim's type, tools used to commit crime or different methods to gain entry (Beeghley, 2003). However, M.O will not remain constant over the time as they may improve from experience, or even learn new ways thus increasing their probability of success or may lower it. For instance, the offender might always commit at night and use glasscutter to enter the location, shooting the victim. The offender can change the strategy if he learns that if he uses glass cutter with suction cup and knife to kill, the victim will make less noise (Daly, 1988).

Homicide in America

Since 1991, the US homicide rate has substantially fallen. The homicide rate in America, 2011was 4.7 % whereas in 2010 it was 4.8%. This rate is still considered high in the industrialized world. After 1980, homicides with gun involvement increased. In US, there is an increase in the cases where the victim and the offenders had no relation whatsoever. Many family members and spouses totaled 15% of the total of the victims, and about one third of homicides were acquaintances of the assailant. Although the rate of homicide has lowered down but there are cases of homicide that are needed to be dealt. On the offender named, Rodney Alcala is discussed in the following paper (Malmquist, 1996).

Rodney Alcala

Rodney Alcala has been found guilty of many heinous crimes. He is convicted by the jury as a torturer, rapist and a serial killer who escaped from the clutch of justice for four decades. Once at a particular time Alcala was participating in The Dating Game show. There a date has been won by him with the other contestant, but that date could not happen as he was found very creepy by the ...