Which of the following best describes manslaughter?

Manslaughter is classified as an unlawful killing that occurs without malice aforethought, and one of the key characteristics that distinguishes it from murder is the presence of circumstances that mitigate the offender's culpability. When an individual kills another person in the heat of passion, it often implies that the act was provoked by a strong emotional response—such as anger or grief—resulting from a specific incident, rather than a premeditated or planned action. This emotional state can compromise the individual's capacity to exercise self-control, leading to an unintentional killing.

In the context of culpability, this differentiates manslaughter from intentional killing, which involves premeditated intent to harm or kill, and from killings carried out in self-defense, which typically involve a legitimate perception of threat and the necessity to protect oneself. Accidental death without blame does not fit the definition of manslaughter because it often lacks the emotional factors associated with heat of passion and does not involve unlawful action, while manslaughter specifically involves some degree of culpability, even if mitigated by emotional circumstances.