Even these common specifically-Jewish surnames can be misleading, though. The surname Cohan (as in songwriter George M.) is usually Irish rather than Jewish. The surname Lavigne (as in singer Avril) is pronounced much like Levine, but it is a common gentile name among French Canadians.
malice aforethought - Legal Definition. n. The requisite state of mind for murder to be charged under the common law, involving an intent to kill or to cause serious physical harm, depraved indifference to human life, or an intent to commit another serious felony that results in a death.
At common law, murder was defined as killing another human being with malice aforethought. 1  Malice aforethought is a legal term of art, that encompasses the following types of murder:  2 Intent-to-kill murder.  3 Grievous-bodily-harm murder - Killing someone in an attack intended to cause them grievous bodily harm.