What Exactly is a Cold-Blooded Murder? - Criminal Law Matters

Cold-Blooded murder means something which is not a sudden response of some act of others, but instead the Pre-Planned one. However, Before we proceed further, we must have a look at the dictionary meaning of Cold-Blooded. It is "without emotion or pity; deliberately cruel or callous."

some common synonyms of Cold-Blooded are cruel, savage, brutal, callous, barbaric, barbarous, sadistic, inhuman, pitiless, merciless, ruthless, unforgiving, unpitying, inhumane, unfeeling, uncaring, heartless.

What Exactly is a Cold-Blooded Murder?
Cold Blooded Murder is something that is premeditated, Pre-Planned Merciless Killing which was done in a ruthless and a brutal manner without any sense or feeling of pity for the victim while one had the intention to do the same and also had the knowledge with the reason to believe that such act will result in the painful death of the victim. Still, the murderer proceeds to do that act, willingly and deliberately, with such a mental condition being fully aware of the nature of the act and its consequences that will follow.

Cold-Blooded Murder is not something, that is done as a sudden response of the some act of others or we can say, that which is done in the heat of the moment, where one acts on the basis of sudden provocation and there are chances of person who committed such murder to feel bad or sorry for what he did. If a person is not fully aware of an act he is doing, he can not be said to be a Cold Blooded Murderer.

In India, Such act which resulted in the consequence of sudden and grave provocation comes under the definition of Culpable Homicide and not Murder by virtue of the Exception 1 of the Section 300 of the Indian Penal Code. However, This Exception is also subject to some certain provisos. Let us have a look at Section 300 of Indian Penal Code

300. Murder. - Except in the cases hereinafter excepted, culpable homicide is murder, if the act by which the death is caused is done with the intention of causing death, or -

2ndly. - It is done with intention of causing such bodily injury as the offender knows to be likely to cause the death of the person to whom the harm is caused, or -

3rdly. - If it is done with the intention of causing bodily injury to any person and the bodily injury intended to be inflicted is sufficient in the ordinary course of nature to cause death, or -

4thly. - If the person committing the act knows that it is so imminently dangerous that it must, in all probability, cause death or such bodily injury as is likely to cause death, and commits such act without any excuse for incurring the risk of causing death or such injury as aforesaid.

Illustrations

(a) A shoots Z with the intention of killing him. Z dies in consequence. A commits murder.

(b) A, knowing that Z is labouring under such a disease that a blow is likely to cause his death, strikes him with the intention of causing bodily injury. Z dies in consequence of the blow. A is guilty of murder, although the blow might not have been sufficient in the ordinary course of nature to cause the death of a person in a sound state of health. But if A, not knowing that Z is labouring under any disease, gives him such a blow as would not in the ordinary course of nature kill a person in a sound state of health, here A, although he may intend to cause bodily injury, is not guilty of murder, if he did not intend to cause death, or such bodily injury as in the ordinary course of nature would cause death.

(c) A intentionally gives Z a sword-cut or club-wound sufficient to cause the death of a man in the ordinary course of nature. Z dies in consequence. Here, A is guilty of murder, although he may not have intended to cause Z' death.

(d) A without any excuse fires a loaded cannon into a crown of persons and kills one of them. A is guilty of murder, although he may not have had a premeditated design to kill any particular individual.

Exception 1. - When culpable homicide is not murder. - Culpable homicide is not murder if the offender, whilst deprived of the power of self-control by grave and sudden provocation, causes the death of the person who gave the provocation or causes the death of any other person by mistake or accident.

The above exception is subject to the following provisos:-

First. - That the provocation is not sought or voluntarily provoked by the offender as an excuse for killing or doing harm to any person.

Secondly. - That the provocation is not given by anything done in obedience to the law, or by a public servant in the lawful exercise of the powers of such public servant.

Thirdly. - That the provocation is not given by anything done in the lawful exercise of the right of private defence.

Explanation. - Whether the provocation was grave and sudden enough to prevent the offence from amounting to murder is a question of fact.

Illustrations
(a) A, under the influence of passion excited by a provocation given by Z, intentionally kills, Y, Z's child. This is murder, inasmuch as the provocation was not given by the child, and the death of the child was not caused by accident or misfortune in doing an act caused by the provocation.

(b) Y gives grave and sudden provocation to A. A, on this provocation, fires a pistol at Y, neither intending nor knowing himself to be likely to kill Z, who is near him, but out of sight. A kills Z. Here A has not committed murder, but merely culpable homicide.

(c) A is lawfully arrested by Z, a bailiff. A is excited to sudden and violent passion by the arrest, and kills Z. This is murder, inasmuch as the provocation was given by a thing done by a public servant in the exercise of his powers.

(d) A appears as a witness before Z, a Magistrate, Z says that he does not believe a words of A's deposition, and that A has perjured himself. A is moved to sudden passion by these words, and kills Z. This is murder.

(e) A attempts to pull Z's nose, Z, in the exercise of the right of private defence, lays hold of A to prevent him from doing so. A is moved to sudden and violent passion in consequence, and kills Z. This is murder, inasmuch as the provocation was given by a thing done in the exercise of the right of private defence.

(f) Z strikes B. B is by this provocation excited to violent rage. A, a bystander, intending to take advantage of B's rage, and to cause him to kill Z, puts a knife into B's hand for that purpose. B kills Z with the knife. Here B may have committed only culpable homicide, but A is guilty of murder.

Exception 2. - Culpable homicide is not murder if the offender, in the exercise in good faith of the right of private defence of person or property, exceeds the power given to him by law and causes the death of the person against whom he is exercising such right of defence without premeditation, and without any intention of doing more harm that in necessary for the purpose of such defence.

Illustration
Z attempts to horsewhip A, not in such a manner as to cause grievous hurt to A. A draws out a pistol. Z persists in the assault. A believing in good faith that he can by no other means prevent himself from being horsewhipped, shoots Z to death. A has not committed murder, but only culpable homicide.

Exception 3. - Culpable homicide is not murder if the offender, being a public servant or aiding a public servant acting for the advancement of public justice, exceeds the powers given to him by law, and causes death by doing an act which he, in good faith, believes to be lawful and necessary for the due discharge of his duty as such public servant and without ill-will towards the person whose death is caused.

Exception 4. - Culpable homicide is not murder if it is committed without premeditation in a sudden fight in the heat of passion upon a sudden quarrel and without the offenders having taken undue advantage or acted in a cruel or unusual manner.

Explanation. - It is immaterial in such cases which party offers the provocation or commits the first assault.

Exception 5. - Culpable homicide is not murder when the person whose death is caused, being above the age of eighteen years, suffers death or takes the risk of death with his own consent.

Illustration
A, by instigation, voluntarily causes Z, a person under eighteen years of age to commit suicide. Here, on account of Z's youth, he was incapable of giving consent to his own death; A has therefore abetted murder.

Criminal Law in India about Cold-Blooded Murder.
In India, A Cold-Blooded Murder comes within the definition of a murder and the same is triable by the Court of Sessions which is of course a Non-Bailable and a Cognizable Offence and the Maximum punishment that can be awarded in such cases is death Penalty.

Punishment for Cold-Blooded Murder in India.
As we have discussed earlier too, In India, Maximum Punishment in such cases is Death Penalty. A Cold-Blooded murder in India, comes in the definition of the rarest of Rare cases and therefore, Capital Punishment in India, can be given in Rarest of Rare cases.

[Read: What are Rarest of Rare Cases in India]

However, That was about the Maximum punishment that can be awarded in such cases. Apart from this, A person can also be imprisoned for life if found guilty under section 302 of IPC.

 302. Punishment for murder. - Whoever commits murder shall be punished with death, or [imprisonment for life], and shall also be liable to fine.