It's possible to pay the owner for an animal that has been killed, but death is the penalty for murder.
I created humans to be like me, and I will punish any animal or person that takes a human life. If an animal kills someone, that animal must die. And if a person takes the life of another, that person must be put to death.
Suppose someone's ox or donkey is killed by falling into an open pit that you dug or left uncovered on your property.
When this happens, you must return what doesn't belong to you