Crime of passion  

From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia

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A crime of passion, or crime passionnel, in popular usage, refers to a crime in which the perpetrator commits a crime, especially assault or murder, against someone because of sudden strong impulse such as sudden rage or heartbreak rather than as a premeditated crime. A typical crime of passion might involve an aggressive pub-goer who assaults another guest following an argument or a husband who discovers his wife has made him a cuckold and proceeds to brutally batter or even kill his wife and the man with whom she was involved.

In the United States civil courts, a crime of passion is referred to as "temporary insanity". This defense was first used by U.S. Congressman Daniel Sickles of New York in 1859 after he had killed his wife's lover, Philip Barton Key, but was most used during the 1940s and 1950s.

In some countries, notably France, crime passionnel (or crime of passion) was a valid defense during murder cases; during the 19th century, some cases could be a custodial sentence for two years for the murderer, while the spouse was dead; this ended in France a

See also

• Passion
• Honor killing
• Gianciotto Discovers Paolo and Francesca [1] by Ingres.
• Crimes of Passion is a 1984 film directed by Ken Russell, starring Kathleen Turner and Anthony Perkins.

• Crimes of Passion is a double bill of plays by Joe Orton, comprising The Ruffian on the Stair and The Erpingham Camp.