형법상 모살.고살 구분과 영미형법의 살인죄

Reform of Homicide Offence in Anglo-American Criminal Law

영미형법과 달리 우리 형법규정은 모살(중한 살인)과 고살(보통 살인)의 구분을 알지 못한다. 다만 살인죄를 살해의 대상과 특정행위에 뒤따른 살해결과에 따라 법정형의 구별을 두고 있다. 그동안 형법개정논의과정에서 살인죄 규정의 체계화와 합리화를 위한 논점의 하나로 모살과 고살구별의 필요성을 검토해 왔다. 살인의 불법과 책임내용에 따라 보통살인죄와 구별되는 중살인죄 규정을 신설하여, 살인의 가중처벌규정들을 체계화할 필요성은 고려가능하기 때문이다.1) 비교법적으로 볼 때 프랑스형법2)은 사전 예비․음모 여부를, 독일형법3)은 동기나 목적․수단의 차이를, 그리고 영미형법에서는 의도를 기준으로 모살과 고살을 구분한다. 현재 진행 중인 형법개정안 논의와 관련하여, 모살과 고살구분의 입법례로 인용되는 영미형법상 살인죄 규정체계가 이론적 실천적으로 어떤 의미가 있는지, 영미형법에서 살인죄관련 법개정의 진행경과를 배경으로 분석해 보고자 한다.

This research studies the common law model of homicide offence and the reform of homicide law in Korea. Korean Criminal Code knows no distinction of murder and manslaughter, as such in common law tradition. According to the section 250 of the Code, judge has discretionary power to impose from suspended sentence to death penalty. As a way of rationalization of criminal law, it has been proposed that single offence of homicide should be separated into the offences of murder and manslaughter. According to the Model Penal Code, criminal homicide is murder, manslaughter or negligent homicide. When homicide is committed purposely or knowingly, or recklessly with extreme indifference to the value of human life, is constitutes murder. When committed recklessly, or with diminished responsibility, it constitutes manslaughter. In English criminal law, murder is defined as the unlawful killing of a human being with malice aforethought. Voluntary manslaughter means that the accused had mens rea of murder, but has a defence. Involuntary manslaughter has two forms of gross negligence and constructive manslaughter. In common law tradition, the structure of murder/manslaughter was influenced by the decision to separate capital murders from non-capital murders. It has been developed to give more discretion to judges, who impose sentences to the offence of homicide. For the rationalization of sentencing discretion, and for the abolishment of death penalty, reform of homicide offence in the American and English criminal laws should be studied.