Under common law, is duress a defense to homicide?

• A. Yes
• B. No
• C. Only if the threat is to D's life
• D. Only if D's family is threatened

Answer: (B)

Duress is a defense when a person commits a crime to avoid imminent threat of death or serious harm, but not for murder. Under common law, killing another person to escape a threat cannot be excused, because society’s interest in preserving life overrides the coercive circumstances. While other doctrines like self-defense or, in some systems, necessity may apply in certain homicide scenarios, duress itself does not excuse homicide. So, the correct stance is that duress is not a defense to homicide.