SINCE 1828
involuntary manslaughter
nounDefinition of involuntary manslaughter
: manslaughter resulting from the failure to perform a legal duty expressly required to safeguard human life, from the commission of an unlawful act not constituting a felony, or from the commission of a lawful act in a negligent or improper manner
Examples of involuntary manslaughter in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The prosecution has accused Harris, 29, and Almena of 36 counts of involuntary manslaughter. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Attorney: Man is a scapegoat in deadly California fire," 30 July 2019 Montgomery County Circuit Court Judge Margaret Schweitzer rejected a defense attorney’s argument that jurors had insufficient evidence to convict Daniel Beckwitt of second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter. — Michael Kunzelman, Fortune, "Wealthy Stock Trader Convicted of Murder Won't Get New Trial," 13 June 2019 In 2017, Massachusetts teen Michelle Carter was convicted of involuntary manslaughter for encouraging her boyfriend via text to kill himself by filling his car with carbon monoxide. — Safia Samee Ali, NBC News, "Missouri fraternity leader 'encouraged' five students to take their own lives, lawsuit claims," 2 Aug. 2019 She was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in 2017 in a Massachusetts juvenile court. — Ephrat Livni, Quartz, "The teen convicted in a controversial suicide texting case has appealed to the US Supreme Court," 14 July 2019 Almena, 49, master tenant of the Ghost Ship warehouse, and co-defendant Max Harris, 29, each face three dozen charges of involuntary manslaughter for each person killed in the Ghost Ship blaze. — Megan Cassidy, SFChronicle.com, "Ghost Ship founder testifies in manslaughter trial he is ‘tired, broken-hearted’," 8 July 2019 Lopez was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in San Diego, given a six-year sentence and sent to the Department of Corrections in May 2017, state officials said. — Alex Riggins, San Diego Union-Tribune, "Convict who walked from San Diego community release program caught in Chula Vista," 17 June 2019 The driver of the Acura, 24-year-old Cesar Torres, was in intensive care after surgery at Baylor University Medical Center and will face a charge of involuntary manslaughter, deputies said. — Loyd Brumfield, Dallas News, "1 person killed in wrong-way crash on northbound I-45 on edge of downtown Dallas," 17 July 2019 The charge of involuntary manslaughter is applicable when a suspect is accused of taking an unreasonable risk without the intention to kill, in cases such as playing with a loaded firearm or reckless driving. — Noga Tarnopolsky, Los Angeles Times, "Ethiopian Israelis protest after officer in shooting of unarmed man is released and faces lesser charge," 15 July 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'involuntary manslaughter.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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