Commonwealth v. Webster
Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts
59 Mass. (5 Cush.) 295, 386 (1850)
Relevant factsFree
Dr. John Webster (defendant), who owed money to Dr. George Parkman, was prosecuted for Parkman's murder after Parkman disappeared around the time the two were to meet for repayment and fragmentary human remains believed to be Parkman's were found in Webster's laboratory furnace; the trial court's jury instructions addressed the governing distinction between murder and manslaughter.
IssueFree
Whether the characteristic distinction between common-law murder and manslaughter is express or implied malice.