Manslaughter

An individual is guilty of manslaughter if they recklessly cause the death of another. A person is said to act recklessly, or is considered reckless, when he or she is aware of but still consciously disregards a substantial and unjustifiable risk that leads to the death of another. Risk of a nature and degree that disregard the safety and well-being of others constitutes a gross deviation from the standard of care that a typical person would exercise under the circumstances.

When someone is behaving in reckless manner, a prosecutor only needs to prove that this was the case, not that murder was the intent. Being convicted for manslaughter is a second degree felony that could result in a prison term of between 2 – 20 years.