Homicide is the act of taking another person's life. This is a general term that does not factor in the specifics of the situation. Homicide charges are very complex, because there can be many intentions, circumstances and reasons for why another person dies at the hands of another.
Any homicide conviction is obviously a serious one. However there are situations where the circumstances can be explained and understood by the courts. For example, homicides are known to often take place after a person has been the victim of domestic violence or abuse over many years. In addition, they can occur as an unintended result of self-defense, where the person guilty of homicide had no choice but to take the action that he or she did.