Homicide is the voluntary or involuntary killing of another human being. One is culpable of this crime if he or she is directly or indirectly responsible for the death of another human being. There are many types of homicide - parricide, murder, manslaughter, among others.

Homicide comes from the Latin word homicidium - or literally "to kill another being". In legal terms it is the umbrella group for a variety of crimes that span the gamut from accidents to premeditated murder. It should be clarified that while all forms of murder are homicides, not all forms of homicides are murders.

Execution is Not Homicide

Execution, however, when authorized by the state, is not considered homicide. Homicide only applies to such crimes that are punishable by law. California, however, has banned such executions owing to the fact that doctors are reluctant to participate in such exercises as it violates their Hippocratic Oath - that of doing what is best in the interest of their patients, to heal and not to kill.

Defense Against Homicide

Not all that are accused of homicide are guilty in the eyes of the law. There are defenses one may use to prove that the death was reasonable and within the boundaries of law. For example, one may plead insanity to the crime - meaning that the person who committed the crime was not in full control of his or her faculties at the time of the killing, therefore the death was not the responsibility of the person.

One could also plead self-defense, meaning that the death resulted in a struggle wherein the victim, or the deceased, was in the act of harming the defendant. Provocation also shares this same line of reasoning.

These defenses could mitigate any sentence or could totally acquit one of the charges against him.

In light of this, you will need a good attorney to handle your homicide defense needs. Here are a few things to look at when considering a defense attorney for that purpose.

1. They Are Your Voice - You will need their skill to make your statement clear, concise, unambiguous and acceptable in a court of law. This is why attorneys should be your closest companion whenever you take the stand or are being questioned in court.

They are also in a better position to make your position clear on the court floor. This makes your legal troubles less of a problem.

2. They Lend You Their Ears - This is probably one of the most underrated functions of important traits that every good attorney should possess. Without great listening, there can be no great representing.

As mentioned earlier, the duty of the attorney is to represent you in court. If your attorney seems aloof, then that is a bad sign that the attorney might not be working for your best interests. Your attorney needs to listen to every detail and every tittle of your side of the story to be able to drive your testimony home.

If your criminal defense attorney lacks this skill then it could be a sign that you should look for better attorneys around the block. Good ears could mean a good attorney - maybe not, but it is a good start.

3. They Do Their Homework - Good lawyers become good because the work hard behind the scenes. Some cases boil down to who does their homework best. The better the research and paperwork a staff does, then the greater the probability one wins the case.