US-CA5 · jury_instructions
5th Cir. Pattern Jury Instr. (Criminal) 2.53
VOLUNTARY MANSLAUGHTER
18 U.S.C. § 1112
Title 18, United States Code, Section 1112, makes it a crime for anyone to unlawfully kill
another human being, without malice.
For you to find the defendant guilty of this crime, you must be convinced that the
government has proved each of the following beyond a reasonable doubt:
First: That the defendant unlawfully killed ___________ (name of alleged victim);
Second: That the defendant did so without malice, that is, upon a sudden quarrel or while
in the heat of passion; and
Third: That the killing took place within the territorial [special maritime] jurisdiction of
the United States.
“Heat of passion” means a passion of fear or rage in which the defendant loses his [her]
normal self-control. This loss of self-control is the result of circumstances that would provoke such
a passion in an ordinary person, but did not justify the use of deadly force.
Provenance
- Source
- lb5.uscourts.gov
- Retrieved
- 2026-08-19
- Edition
- 2026-08-19
- Content hash
c2db8fb7b700eebee5b87270c4135b5f0f037198d60e90def1efd8b6da023788
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