Consensual homicide

Homicide
Murder
Note: Varies by jurisdiction
Assassination · Child murder Consensual homicide Contract killing · Felony murder rule Honor killing · Human sacrifice (Child) Lust murder · Lynching Mass murder · Murder–suicide Proxy murder  · Lonely hearts killer Serial killer · Spree killer Torture murder · Feticide Double murder  · Misdemeanor murder Crime of passion  · Internet homicide Depraved-heart murder
Manslaughter
in English law Negligent homicide Vehicular homicide
Non-criminal homicide
Note: Varies by jurisdiction
Justifiable homicide Capital punishment Human sacrifice Feticide Medicide
By victim or victims
Suicide
Family
Familicide · Avunculicide Prolicide (Filicide • Infanticide • Neonaticide) Fratricide / Sororicide Mariticide / Uxoricide Parricide (Matricide • Patricide)
Other
Friendly fire Genocide / Democide Gendercide Omnicide Regicide / Tyrannicide Pseudocide Deicide
v · d · e

Suicide
Social aspects
Legislation · Philosophy Religious views · Euthanasia Right to die · Benevolent suicide
Suicide crisis
Assessment of risk · Crisis hotline · Intervention · Prevention · Suicide watch
Suicide types
Assisted · Copycat · Cult · Familicide · Forced · Honor · Internet · Mass · Murder–suicide · Parasuicide · Suicide attack · By cop · Pact
Epidemiology
Gender · Suicide rate
History
Suicide in antiquity · List of suicides · Suicide methods (Hanging, London Underground)
Related phenomena
Ideation · Self-harm · Suicide note · Locations · Failed suicide attempt
By country
Canada · China · France · India · Japan · Pakistan · South Korea · United States
Rates
List of countries by suicide rate List of OECD countries by suicide rate
v · d · e

Consensual homicide refers to a case when one person kills another, with the consent of the victim.

Euthanasia

Main article: Euthanasia

The more common form is assisted suicide, in which terminally ill people seek assistance from their doctors (or family members) to alleviate their suffering by ending their lives. This practice is legal in some jurisdictions, but remains controversial because of the legal, ethical and practical issues it raises. Dr. Jack Kevorkian was the most well-known advocate of this practice.^[1] Another notable case is suspected serial killer John Bodkin Adams, who claimed that patient Edith Alice Morrell—for whose murder he was tried in 1957—had wanted to die. He was controversially found not guilty but later suspected of murdering up to 163 of his patients.^[2]

Attempts to legalize assisted suicide in various US states have generally failed in recent years. Washington state is a notable exception. Washington legalized assisted suicide with a law that took effect March 4, 2009, becoming the second state, after Oregon, to have done so. California, on the other hand, rejected the practice in 1992, 1999, 2005, 2006 and 2007^{[citation needed]}. Opposition to assisted suicide legalization came from a wide range of organizations including the California Medical Association, disability rights organizations, faith-based organizations, and Latino and civil rights groups.

Exceptional cases

In 1996 a Maryland entrepreneur named Sharon Lopatka arranged for her own torture and strangulation over the Internet. In 2001 German Armin Meiwes was found to have murdered and cannibalized a willing victim he found over the internet. These two cases attracted considerable media attention. Beyond their lurid sexual details, both cases introduce paradoxes about the respective responsibility of the parties, the legal differences between consensual homicide and suicide.^{[citation needed]}

In 2005, Japan, Hiroshi Maeue lured three people via the internet with promises to assist in their suicides, and strangled them. They may have consented to their killings at first, but the method was different from his promise. Maeue had previous convictions and his motivation was clearly sexual.^[3] He was regarded as a serial killer and was sentenced to death.^[4]

References

1. ^ Betzold, Michel,"Appointment with Doctor Death" Troy, MI: Momentum Books 1996
2. ^ Cullen, Pamela V., "A Stranger in Blood: The Case Files on Dr John Bodkin Adams", London, Elliott & Thompson, 2006, ISBN 1-904027-19-9
3. ^ "Suicide website murderer lived out his fantasies". Japan Today. 2005-08-24. http://www.japantoday.com/jp/shukan/294. Retrieved 2008-03-22. 
4. ^ "Man gets death for murdering suicidal trio". The Japan Times. 2007-03-29. http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20070329a3.html. Retrieved 2008-02-23.