法律英语-何家弘(13)

considerable provocation appears, or when the circumstances attending the killing show an abandoned and malignant heart."

根据普通法，谋杀是有“预谋”的杀人，而且在当今的一些立法和法典中也有这种“预谋”的要求。比如，《加利福尼亚刑法典》就保留了这一点。与普通法一样，该法典规定：

“ 预谋可以是明示的 也可以是默示的。在明显故意夺取他人生命的情况下，就是明示的。而在没有故意挑衅或者在该杀人行为的有关情况表明了一颗冷酷邪恶之心的情况下，就是暗示的。”

A clear illustration of express malice is a case where one person intentionally pushes another off the side of a mountain. An example of implied malice is where a person fires a rifle at a moving passenger train, just "to scare" the persons aboard or to display skill at firing a bullet between the cars without hitting anyone. The dangerousness of the conduct would be evidence of "malice" as regards any killing that may be reasonably attributed to such conduct. It would indicate, to a California court or jury, "an abandoned and malignant heart".

一个人故意将他人推下悬崖就是明显表明具有明示的预谋的一个例子。暗示的预谋的一个例子是一个人仅仅为了吓唬一列正在行进中的列车上的乘客或者为了展示它能够将子弹正好打过两节车厢之间而不会击中任何人而开枪的情况。至于那些可以合理地归入这种行为范畴的杀人，该行为的危险性就是“预谋”的证明。对于加利福尼亚法院或陪审团来说，它表明了“一颗冷酷邪恶之心”。

The penalty for murder is punishable by death in some states; in others by prison terms extending to "life" or a specified number of years.

谋杀罪在一些州当中可判处死刑，在另一些州仅判处终身监禁或若干年徒刑。

(a) FelonyMurder

Another example of a satisfaction of the element of malice is a killing during the course of a felony such as robbery. Even though a robbers gun goes off accidentally, killing the robbery victim, or a bystander, or a police officer, his conduct of committing such a dangerous crime as robbery satisfies the requirement of malice so that the killing becomes punishable as murder. A similar line of reasoning has resulted in holding cofelons guilty of murder where, in the course of an exchange of shots between robbers and the police, a police officer is accidentally killed by another officer.

（a）重罪中的谋杀

预谋要件得以满足的另一个例子是在诸如抢劫之类的重罪中杀人。即使抢劫者的枪走火致使抢劫受害人或旁观者或警察死亡，其实施诸如抢劫之类的危险犯罪的行为就满足了预谋的要求，因此这种杀人可按谋杀罪惩处。根据同样的推理，在抢劫者与警察的互相射击过程中，如果一名警察意外地被另一名警察射杀，那么就可以将其认定为谋杀罪的重罪共犯。

Malice may also be attributed to a robber whose partner in the crime intentionally kills someone during the commission of the crime or the attempted escape. Malice on the part of all participants is implied from the dangerousness of the robbery itself; moreover, each robber is considered to act as an agent for the others in accomplishing their objective, including the attempt to escape.

如果一名抢劫者的犯罪同伙在犯罪或者逃跑过程中故意杀人，也可以认定该抢劫者有预谋。参与者的预谋是由抢劫本身的危险性所暗示出来的。而且每一个抢劫者都可以被视为在实现他们的目的（包括逃跑）过程中代表其他人行事。

This whole issue of felonymurder stems primarily from the prosecutions

interest in seeking the death penalty for such killings. In some of the states which have abolished capital punishment (Wisconsin, for example), the legislatures, out of an understandable desire to punish robbers more severely whenever a killing results, have provided that the punishment for such offenses shall be fifteen years greater than that provided for nonfatal robberies.

整个重罪中的谋杀问题主要起因于公诉人寻求将此类杀人行为判处死刑的意图。在一些废除死刑的州（如威斯康辛），其立法以一种将造成杀人后果的抢劫予以严惩的可以理解的愿望，规定此类犯罪要比无致命的抢劫多判15年徒刑。

(b) Degrees of Murder

Some states have specified varying penalties for murder, depending upon the circumstances of the killing. A "willful, deliberate and premeditated" killing, such as a poisoning or a killing during the commission of a dangerous felony, may be labeled first degree murder and punishable by death or long imprisonment. Other forms of murder may be of the second degree and punishable with a lesser penalty. According to the common law, however, there were no degrees of murder. Any unlawful killing was either murder or manslaughter.

（b）谋杀的等级

一些州根据杀人的实际情况对谋杀罪规定了不同的惩罚。“故意的、蓄意的、预谋的”杀人，如投毒或在危险性重犯中杀人可能被定为一级谋杀并判处死刑或长期监禁。其他类型的谋杀可能是二级谋杀并被判处较轻的刑罚。但是按照普通法，不存在谋杀的等级。任何非法的杀人行为要么是谋杀要么是非预谋杀人。

2. Manslaughter

Manslaughter was defined at common law as an unlawful killing of another without malice. It could be either voluntary or involuntary.

非预谋杀人在普通法中被定义为没有预谋地非法杀害他人的行为。它可以是故意或非故意。

Manslaughter, in contrast to murder, is usua …… 此处隐藏：2825字，全部文档内容请下载后查看。喜欢就下载吧 ……