justifiable homicide
Justifiable homicide is the taking of a human life under certain circumstances permitted by law, such as self-defense or other causes defined by statute. For example, in Virginia, a homicide is justifiable in self-defense when a person, without fault in provoking or bringing on the conflict, kills another under a reasonable apprehension of death or serious bodily harm to themself. Justifiable homicide also includes killings expressly authorized by law, such as an execution for a capital offense. A justifiable homicide absolves the actor of criminal liability. It differs from killings committed under heat of passion or with diminished capacity, which may constitute mitigating circumstances but do not eliminate culpability.
[Last reviewed in September of 2025 by the Wex Definitions Team]
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