yes, manslaughter would be correct

In New York State, there are three levels of crimes you can be charged with below murder if you kill someone:

Voluntary Manslaughter: intentional act that leads to death, but because of lack of intent to kill, or because of some mitigating circumstance, you are not guilty of murder. Example: you punch someone in the face and they die. You committed an intentional act that led to their death, but you did not intend for them to die. Example: you kill someone while acting under extreme emotional disturabance.

Involuntary manslaughter: you commit a reckless act that leads to someone's death.

Criminally negligent HOMOCIDE: your negligent (but not reckless act) leads to someone's death.

So Totschlag could be translated as "criminally negligent homocide" if the kind of Totsclag is one that is for killing someone through a negligent or Nachlaessig/Fahrlaessig act.

Note that some states do not have any such crime as "criminally negligent homicide." Other states call if "negligent homocide" and I believe in some states there is a crime called "reckless homocide."

Helen11:

You stated:

"Ich nehme an, daß homicide hier falsch ist, da das doch Mord heißt."

That is incorrect. Homocide just means the killing of a person. Homocide is not always a crime. A homocide may be justified (and therefore not criminal), such as killing in self defense.

Murder, on the other hand, is always an UNjustified killing.

@DanShab

Note, by the way, that the word is homIcide, not homOcide ...

thank you for your extensive information

DanShab from Helen11

in German law,

*Totschlag (§ 212 StGB) means the act of deliberately (!) killing a person. Totschlag can NOT be committed by negligence. You either want that person to die or you realize that your action may lead to death but you don't care.

* Murder (§ 211 StGB) is the act of deliberately killing a person for certain especially hideous reasons, e.g. to cover up another crime, for sexual pleasure, because of greed etc.

* Fahrlässige Tötung (§ 222 StGB) is the killing of another person due to negligence.

Note that these differences appear simple but are very technical; the outcome of such a trial often depends on the judge's proper assessment. There is also the possibility of justification (self defense etc.).

--> Bottom line is, Totschlag cannot be translated as negligent homicide. I suggest the untechnical, general use of the term homocide.