Was it worth 20 dollars? Murder, as the Merriam-Webster online dictionary states, is the crime of unlawfully killing a person. This is a general term for murder and is further divided into subcategories. This is done in order to adequately distinguish the multitude of different types of murders. With names like first degree, second degree, and voluntary manslaughter, many murders can be classified into a specific category. First degree murder is classified as murder with malicious intent; it also includes murder committed in the course of a felony. Second-degree murder is the act of killing a person without prior intent. Unintentional murder, sometimes called third-degree murder, is murder that results from disregard for human life; this would include acts such as drunk driving. Finally, intentional killing occurs when a person without prior intent to kill enters into a situation in which their emotions get the better of them and killing occurs. Sylvia Likens was the daughter of Lester Likens and Elizabeth Frances. Sylvia and her sister Jenny lived with their recently divorced mother. One day, their mother was arrested for shoplifting and thrown in jail. Having no parental supervision, the girls wandered around their town and quickly became friends with one of Mrs. Baniszewski's daughters. The Likens girls spent the night at her house. Likens went to visit his daughters and found them missing. That's why he looked for them in the streets. Finally, he found his daughters at the Baniszewskis. After talking to Gertrude, Lester made a deal where the girls would stay with her for $20 a week; today, that sum would be worth a little less than $150. Most... middle of paper ... Gertrude should have been sentenced to life in prison without parole. The three boys who were incarcerated should have received a longer sentence; I would like about seven to ten years in prison. They committed manslaughter and we should not give them a slap on the wrist; they must pay for their actions. The other children should be sentenced to six months in prison because they played a role in Sylvia's death, and they should learn that this kind of behavior is wrong. Murder is the crime of unlawfully killing a person. While I may not agree with the charges against the accused killers, I know it is murder. Sylvia Likens was killed, but she did not die in vain. It remains a reminder of the abuses occurring in our country today. While we can't change their outcome, we can affect the lives of others in similar situations...