What type of homicide involves intent to kill or inflict serious injury but with provocation present?

Voluntary manslaughter is characterized by the presence of provocation, which can lead an individual to act out of a compulsion to respond to a perceived threat or slight, often in a sudden and emotional manner. This type of homicide acknowledges that while an intent to kill or cause serious harm existed, the circumstances—specifically the provoking event—significantly influenced the perpetrator's state of mind at the time of the crime.

The concept of provocation typically involves a scenario that would cause a reasonable person to lose self-control, which differentiates voluntary manslaughter from other forms of homicide, like first-degree murder that requires premeditation or malice aforethought, or second-degree murder that involves intent to cause death without premeditation. Involuntary manslaughter, on the other hand, typically involves unintentional killings resulting from reckless or negligent behavior, rather than the intentionality present in voluntary manslaughter. Therefore, the recognition of provocation as a mitigating factor is crucial to distinguishing voluntary manslaughter from these other categories.