Legal Definitions - hospiticide

Hospiticide refers to a specific type of murder that occurs within the context of a host-guest relationship. It encompasses two scenarios:

• The act of a guest murdering their host.
• The act of a host murdering their guest.

Here are some examples to illustrate this legal concept:

• Example 1: Guest Murders Host

  A college student, struggling financially, is invited by an old friend to stay at their apartment rent-free for a month while looking for a job. During their stay, the student discovers the friend has a large sum of cash hidden away. Driven by desperation, the student plans and carries out the murder of their friend to steal the money.

  This situation exemplifies hospiticide because the student, acting as a guest, committed murder against their host, the friend who provided them shelter.

• Example 2: Host Murders Guest

  An elderly woman invites her estranged nephew to live with her after he falls on hard times, hoping to mend their relationship. After several weeks, the nephew begins to verbally abuse and threaten her, demanding access to her savings. Fearing for her safety and feeling trapped, the woman deliberately sabotages the brakes on her nephew's bicycle, leading to a fatal accident.

  Here, the elderly woman is the host, and her nephew is the guest. Her actions, resulting in his death, constitute hospiticide as a host murdering a guest.

• Example 3: Another Host-Guest Scenario

  A family offers a spare room to a foreign exchange student for an academic year. Over time, cultural misunderstandings and personality clashes escalate into intense animosity. One evening, after a particularly heated argument, the head of the host family, in a fit of rage, pushes the student down a flight of stairs, causing fatal injuries.

  This scenario also falls under hospiticide, as the head of the host family (the host) committed murder against the foreign exchange student (the guest) within the confines of their shared living arrangement.