Punishment
One of the criteria for a judgement of "murder in the first degree" in the laws of the State of New York is that:
...the defendant acted in an especially cruel and wanton manner pursuant to a course of conduct intended to inflict and inflicting torture upon the victim prior to the victim's death. As used in this subparagraph, "torture" means the intentional and depraved infliction of extreme physical pain; "depraved" means the defendant relished the infliction of extreme physical pain upon the victim evidencing debasement or perversion or that the defendant evidenced a sense of pleasure in the infliction of extreme physical pain...Similar positions are taken in the laws of Italy, Germany and Norway and others (see, Country-specific murder law).
Read more about this topic: Torture Murder
Famous quotes containing the word punishment:
“All in all, punishment hardens and renders people more insensible; it concentrates; it increases the feeling of estrangement; it strengthens the power of resistance.”
—Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900)
“Sleep is a reward for some, a punishment for others. For all, it is a sanction.”
—Isidore Ducasse, Comte de Lautréamont (1846–70)
“It is an open question whether any behavior based on fear of eternal punishment can be regarded as ethical or should be regarded as merely cowardly.”
—Margaret Mead (1901–1978)