Murder is when one person intentionally kills another with the intent to kill and/or the intent to seriously harm. If a deadly weapon is used to complete the act, this infers the intent to kill. Some mental level of planning before the act is committed is usually, but not always necessary for a murder to take place. Premeditated murder is handled differently from other forms of homicide. The courts consider the state of mind a person is in when murder is committed. The intent of the act can be malicious, purposeful, wanton, or intentional. If there is no intent or malice, the death is considered manslaughter. When a person is killed accidently or in self-defense, the death is considered a homicide. If someone with a mental illness commits murder, this person may not have to stand trial in some areas. They are instead declared “not guilty by reason of insanity”. Since the beginning of time, murder has been considered a serious offense, which today necessitates a capital punishment.