California, United States of America
The following excerpt is from People v. Ballard, B282339 (Cal. App. 2019):
"First degree murder, like second degree murder, is the unlawful killing of a human being with malice aforethought, but has the additional elements of willfulness, premeditation, and deliberation . . . . [Citation.] That mental state is uniquely subjective and personal. It requires more than a showing of intent to kill; the killer must act deliberately, carefully weighing the considerations for and against a choice to kill before he or she completes the acts that caused the death." (People v. Chiu (2014) 59 Cal.4th 155, 166.)
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