Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Legal lingo
Lesser included offense
In some cases the law that a person is charged with breaking actually covers two separate crimes, with one being more serious than the other. The second is generally called a lesser included offense. For instance, a person charged with first-degree murder, which requires premeditation, could be convicted of second-degree murder, a killing done without premeditation, or manslaughter, a killing done in the heat of passion.