People sometimes have a tendency to use words in an interchangeable manner, when the terms are not. This is excusable in many cases. The unscrupulous use this tendency to their advantage. Remember former President and serial rapist Blow Job Bill Clinton?
“It depends on what the meaning of the word ‘is’ is.”
Fox news and the MSM breathlessly announce that George Floyd died as a result of homicide. No shit! Homicide means killing and murder, right?
Wrong! The terms are not interchangeable.
https://www.foxnews.com/us/results-of-george-floyd-independent-autopsy-expected-today
I blame TV and popular culture for much of the misunderstanding. There is so much print and video devoted to police, investigation, and private detectives that everybody thinks they are an expert.
Criminal acts require specific actions in order to fall into a neat category. If one act in the chain isn’t present then the actions of the offender don’t rise to the offense.
Here is a common misconception. A homeowner comes home and finds his home ransacked and his flat screen TV is missing. He exclaims, “I’ve been robbed!”
Nope. a robbery never happened. The home owner is the victim of a burglary. Person(s) unknown entered his residence without his effective consent and took his flat screen TV. Some states may require that the “burglary” occur during the nighttime, otherwise it is “breaking and entering. Some states make a distinction between a residence, business or outbuilding.
A robbery occurs only when there is a confrontation with a threat or actual violence used to obtain property.
Sometimes the same actions may lead to multiple offenses with varying standards of proof. George Floyd started events by passing a counterfeit $20 bill. Counterfeiting is a Federal offense.
However, possession, passing (or uttering) a forged instrument (representing a fake as legitimate) is a state felony. A fake $20 bill meets the requirements. Finally, obtaining something of value without paying for it is theft.
Apologists may try to argue that Floyd had no knowledge that the bill was counterfeit. This fails on two two fronts. The bill was so poorly done, the ink had run, the clerk spotted it immediately. Second the clerk informed Floyd that the bill was counterfeit and demanded that Floyd return his purchase. Floyd refused. Given the circumstances, forgery or theft were probably viable charges.
Back to the headline. Homicide indicates that one person kills another. The term indicates that the victim was not eaten by wild dogs. It makes no judgment as to the morality of the act. Homicide may be legal or illegal.
homicide
1: a person who kills another
2: a killing of one human being by another
Unless one is discussing a flock of crows (3) Murder implies an act society finds unacceptable. Murder requires persons be involved. The wild dogs get a pass. There are degrees of murder meaning that some acts of murder are more unacceptable than others.
murder (Entry 1 of 2)
Merriam Webster Dictionary
1: the crime of unlawfully killing a person especially with malice aforethought was convicted of murder
2a: something very difficult or dangerous the traffic was murder carrying the luggage was murder on my back
b: something outrageous or blame worthy getting away with murder
3: a flock of crows There’s a reason the proper term for a flock of them is a murder of crows, and it’s not because we like having them around.— Jeffrey Kluger
Finally, we get to kill. Kill means the cessation of life or function. It doesn’t require that the victim be human or even alive. Fighter aces and submarine crews chalked up “kills.”
kill (Entry 2 of 3)1a: an act or instance of killing an animal moving in for the kill
Meriam Webster Dictionary
b: a decisive act that conclusively secures something (such as a deal or win)
2: something killed: such as
a(1): an animal shot in a hunt
(2): animals killed in a hunt, season, or particular period of time
b: an enemy unit (such as an airplane or ship) destroyed by military actionc: a return shot in any of various games (such as badminton, handball, or table tennis) that is too hard for an opponent to handle
Take a look at the stories about the autopsy. Try to find one that explains the distinction between homicide and murder. To me the stories are inherently dishonest.
I don’t care what BJ Bill Clinton says. Monica giving Bill a Blow Job in the Oval office has nothing to do with hair styling.
