When someone commits a crime, it is called mens rea, also known as guilt-based thinking. It means someone intends to do the crime. As an example, if a person sleepwalks and commits a crime it is not a crime. This will make it much easier to prove this in court. In the instance that somebody acted in a guilty mental state and committed the offense and was not aware of the consequences, it is likely to be more difficult to argue in court. A different example is if you struck someone in the car in an accident. The possibility remains that you may have killed them, but you did not act with a guilty mind. This is what separates killing in the first degree and second degree. First-degree murder is one who acted in guilt and committed unintentionally committing a crime. Second degree refers to one who has the guilt of their conscience, yet doesn’t commit the offense. The world is filled with criminals. There are many people with criminal minds. As a defense lawyer it is your responsibility to make certain that you get an honest and complete account about the client that you’re protecting. s4m5deuptg.