Which of the following describes New York Criminally Negligent Homicide?

• A. Criminally negligent
• B. Killing another
• C. Both criminally negligent and killing another
• D. None of the above

Answer: (C)

In New York, criminally negligent homicide is the act of causing the death of another person through criminal negligence. That means two things must be shown: someone dies (the killing), and the death results from conduct that amounts to criminal negligence—a gross deviation from the standard of care that a reasonable person would observe, creating a substantial and unjustifiable risk of death. Because the crime rests on both elements, the description must reflect both the killing and the criminal negligence behind it. If you describe it only as criminal negligence or only as killing, you miss one essential piece. That’s why the best description is that it involves both killing another and criminal negligence.