Criminal Investigation – Behavioral Patterns of Homicide and Writing Crime Fiction

Criminal homicide is divided by statute: murder in the first degree, murder in the second degree, and manslaughter. The corpus delicti (the objective proof that a crime has been committed) of homicide must include these three elements: an evidentiary showing the death of a human being, showing of a criminal agency (perpetrator), and that the criminal agency was the proximate cause of death.

These questions should be answered when you begin to plan your novel and create your plot outline.

How ar...