A historical romp through the fascinating subject of murder jurisprudence in the United States from the colonial period to the present, showing how changing social mores have influenced the application of murder law.

Acknowledgments Introduction 1. Adjudicating Homicide: The Legal Framework and Social Norms Robert Asher, Lawrence B. Goodheart, and Alan Rogers Race 2. Cross-Cultural "Murther" and Retribution in Colonial New England John J. Navin 3. Jim Crow Justice, the Richmond Planet, and the Murder of Lucy Pollard Michael Ayers Trotti 4. Justice Denied: Race and the 1982 Murder Trial of Mumia Abu-Jamal Dave Lindorff Mental Competency 5. Murder and Minors: Changing Standards in the Criminal Law of Connecticut, 1650-1853 Nancy H. Steenburg 6. Murder and Madness: The Ambiguity of Moral Insanity in Nineteenth-Century Connecticut Lawrence B. Goodheart 7. Mad Men and Wronged Women: Murder and the Insanity Defense in Massachusetts, 1844-2000 Alan Rogers Gender and Class Norms 8. Murder by Inches: Shakers, Family, and the Death of Elder Caleb Dyer Elizabeth A. De Wolfe 9. "He Has Ravished my Poor Simple, Innocent Wife!": Exploring the Meaning of Honor in the Murder Trials of George W. Cole Laura-Eve Moss 10. Bodies of Evidence: Inquest Photography in the Trial of Lizzie Borden Tiffany Johnson Bidler List of Contributors Index