Murder is the death of a person, typically by violence and usually as an intentional act. Murder is a criminal offense that carries severe legal consequences, and is generally defined by laws governing homicide in different jurisdicitions. Murder is also a significant topic in fiction, especially mystery and thriller novels. A murder investigation typically involves a criminal case that results in an arrest, a trial, and, if convicted, a conviction and sentencing. Some murder cases receive national or even international news coverage and may later be described in books or movies.
Some murders are not considered to be murder because the perpetrator lacked the necessary intent or premeditation required by law. This includes the accidental deaths of people who are killed by police or other armed personnel in the course of duty, suicides and self-defense killings, and some incidents of justifiable homicide. Similarly, it is not possible to infer the intent or state of mind of the perpetrator from a fact such as an unintended consequence of an action, but this type of event might be described as manslaughter.
The classification of a death as a murder should be established through reliable sources and not based on individual editors’ beliefs or theories of what happened, such as whether the victim was notable or how the crime was committed. Where a murder is known to have occurred, an article about the death should be titled Murder of [Victim]. However, it is often appropriate to title an article about a homicide “Killing of [Victim]” if the victim was not particularly notable and the perpetrator is not named.