An important truth about sin is demonstrated in Genesis 4. It continues corrupting and growing. What began as an act of disobedience in eating forbidden fruit quickly become fratricide - the killing of one's brother in the first act of murder.
To believe that sin is limited and harmless is to gravely underestimate the nature of rebellion against God. In one sense, we continue to experience the cumulative effects of the Fall even today as sin gets passed down through generations. What has worked against that decay has been the spiritual power that God introduced through working in history, chiefly in Christ.
While we aren't given many details regarding Cain's motivation in killing Abel, it is clear that he was in the wrong, apparently out of envy. It was not a case of self-defense, as it occurs later with Lamech in vs. 23 and 24.
Arguments regarding the appropriateness of capital punishment can be found both pro and con in scripture. Genesis 4 seems to indicate that Cain, although a murderer, is protected by God against the exacting of revenge in one's life being required for the taking of life. Later, in the covenant formed at Sinai, we see a different approach regarding capital punishment.
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