Legal Definitions - mass murder

Mass murder refers to the unlawful killing of several people, typically four or more, in a single event or a continuous, short period of time, and usually in a single location or closely related locations. This act is generally carried out by one or more individuals with a common intent to cause widespread fatalities.

Here are some examples to illustrate this term:

• Example 1: Workplace Attack

  A former employee, seeking revenge, enters their previous office building during business hours and opens fire, killing five former colleagues and injuring several others before being apprehended. This scenario constitutes mass murder because multiple individuals were unlawfully killed in a single, continuous event at one location by a single perpetrator.

• Example 2: Public Gathering Incident

  An individual intentionally drives a large vehicle into a crowded street fair, striking and killing six pedestrians and critically injuring many more. This is an example of mass murder as it involves the unlawful killing of multiple people in a single, continuous act within a closely related area (the street fair), demonstrating a clear intent to cause numerous deaths.

• Example 3: Family Annihilation

  A person, experiencing severe emotional distress, kills their spouse and three children in their family home. This act would be classified as mass murder because it involves the unlawful killing of four or more individuals (the spouse and three children) in a single event and at a single location (their home), carried out by one perpetrator.