Murder is a violent act that is illegal in many jurisdictions. The precise legal definition of murder varies by jurisdiction, but most common-law systems require an element of intent (malice aforethought or mens rea) in order to classify a killing as murder. Many jurisdictions also distinguish between different degrees of murder. For example, in the United States, first-degree murder is a more serious offense than second-degree murder. Many civil-law systems, however, treat all unjustified killings as homicides and penalize them according to the circumstances of each case, rather than by the degree of the crime.
When a person is murdered, the event may be notable for many reasons, not only for the death but for a criminal trial or the ensuing media circus. In this case, articles on the trial should be titled “[name of the trial]” and the murder/killing should be included as background information in the article. This is particularly important where the case is notable for a significant legal precedent, as in cases of capital murder.
In some instances, the manner of a death will be so prominent in the media coverage that a single common name is established for the incident. This may be insufficient to meet notability guidelines for an article, in which case the article should be titled “[name of the event]” and the murder/killing should include the appropriate descriptive wording as background information in the article. This is most common with shooting incidents.