Neighbors Call Police After Blood Discovered in Driveway of Georgia Woman’s Home

Police in Barrow County are investigating what appears to be a homicide. According to reports, a woman's body was discovered earlier this morning. Deputies arrived at a home in a local neighborhood after witnesses called police over discovering a trail of blood in the driveway of the woman's home.

So far the woman's identity has not been released. Officers discovered her body inside the home, and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation is now part of the investigation team.

As a Georgia Criminal Defense Lawyer, I will outline the various types of homicide offenses in the state of Georgia as there is quite a range of crimes.

Homicide Offenses in Georgia

Homicide is defined as the act of one human killing another human. There are many offenses that are classified as homicide offenses. A homicide can result from purposeful, accidental, reckless or negligent acts.

By law, the crime of murder in Georgia is defined as:

A person commits the offense of murder when he unlawfully and with malice aforethought, express or implied, causes the death of another human being. O.C.G.A. §16-5-1.

The penalty for a murder conviction in Georgia will be life in prison without parole, the death penalty, or life in prison.

By law, the crime of murder in the second degree in Georgia is defined as:

A person commits the offense of murder in the second degree when, in the commission of cruelty to children in the second degree, he or she causes the death of another human being irrespective of malice. O.C.G.A. §16-5-1.

The penalty for a second degree murder conviction in Georgia will be a ten to thirty years in prison.

By law, the crime of felony murder in Georgia is defined as:

A person commits the offense of murder when, in the commission of a felony, he or she causes the death of another human being irrespective of malice. O.C.G.A. §16-5-1.

The penalty for a felony murder conviction in Georgia is either life in prison with or without parole or the death penalty.

By law, the crime of voluntary manslaughter in Georgia is defined as:

A person commits the offense of voluntary manslaughter when he or she causes the death of another human being under circumstances which would otherwise be murder and if he acts solely as a result of a sudden, violent, and irresistible passion resulting from serious provocation sufficient to excite such passion in a reasonable person; however, if there should have been an interval between the provocation and the killing sufficient for the voice of reason and humanity to be heard, of which the jury in all cases shall be the judge, the killing shall be attributed to deliberate revenge and be punished as murder. O.C.G.A. §16-5-2.

The penalty for a voluntary manslaughter conviction in Georgia is a prison term of one to twenty years.

By law, the crime of involuntary manslaughter in Georgia is defined as:

A person commits the offense of involuntary manslaughter in the commission of an unlawful act when he causes the death of another human being without any intention to do so: by the commission of an unlawful act other than a felony; or by the commission of a lawful act in an unlawful manner likely to cause death or great bodily harm. O.C.G.A. §16-5-3.

The penalty for an involuntary manslaughter conviction in Georgia is a prison term of one to ten years.

Practice Note

As you can see there are a great deal of homicide offenses in the state of Georgia. Each has its own requirements and legal meanings. If you have been charged with a crime do not attempt to figure out the law by yourself. Call our offices now.