If you have been charged with murder, you need an experienced Alexandria Murder Defense Attorney to help you understand what you can do to protect yourself. A good defense will present exculpatory evidence, investigate the case, and make persuasive arguments to the jury advocating for a not guilty verdict.
First-Degree Murder – This is the most serious form of murder and can be punishable by life in prison. The key to first-degree murder is intent. In other words, you must have killed the victim because of your intent. The murder may have been motivated by anger or revenge, or it could have been the result of a violent crime.
Second-Degree Murder – This charge is less serious than murder, but still carries severe penalties. The charges can still be aggravated if the murder was committed while the defendant was in the process of committing a felony, or if he or she killed someone with a “depraved indifference to human life.”
Aggravated Murder – This is a more serious version of the first-degree charge and can carry a sentence of 25 years to life in prison. The charge can also be increased if you kill a child, a police officer, or another government employee, or if the death was a homicide resulting from a violent crime.
Manslaughter – This charge is less serious than murder, and it does not require malice or a forethought. A manslaughter charge does not involve aforethought, but it is still considered a serious criminal offense. It can result in harsh penalties including expensive fines, the loss of driving privileges or professional licenses, and even incarceration.
Insanity – A person can be found guilty of insanity if they have no mental capacity to recognize their actions as wrong or to behave in an appropriate manner. This is a complicated issue, and it will often take the assistance of a qualified doctor or other medical expert to prove insanity.
The prosecution will likely attempt to gather as much evidence as possible to present at trial. They will look at everything from witness statements and police reports to DNA evidence, ballistics analysis, and other forensic evidence.
Discovery issues can make the prosecution’s case incredibly difficult to defend. An experienced Alexandria Murder Defense Attorney can review the forensic evidence and ensure that all relevant aspects of the case are covered.
Criminal homicide is a broad term that covers all kinds of killings, from a soldier killing an enemy while in battle to an individual getting behind the wheel of a car and running into another driver and killing them. In most cases, a homicide will be charged as either murder or manslaughter.
A defense attorney can also help you challenge a prosecutor’s argument that the crime is true by pointing out any extenuating circumstances. These include a family history of violence, an intoxicated state at the time of the incident, a wrongful conviction for a similar offense, or any other issue that may be able to prove a defense.