In the State of Illinois, what is the difference between Murder charges?

Question

First Degree (Death Penalty Option), First Degree (No Death Penalty Option), Second Degree, Manslaughter (First Degree), Manslaughter (Second Degree).
I just want a simple explanation of each. Thank You!

Answer 1

The different degrees deal with a few things, probably the biggest on being intent, another being who was the victim, another being prior history, another being other factors circumstances.

Basically,

Did the killer intent to kill the victim? Or did they want to just hurt the vic and they ended up dying? Or was it a total accident?

Who was the victim? Was it a judge or a police officer or fireman in the middle of doing their duty? Or was it just some guy off the street?

Was it a crime of passion? Like a guy walking in on his wife in bed? OR Did the guy know she'd been having an affair for months and had been planning killing her?

Was it murder for hire?

Hopefully all of these examples illustrate how murder is categorized.