California Criminal Attorney Explains What You Should Do If You’re Facing Homicide Charges

Photo of crime scene

No one has to tell you that there is no room for error or a lack of urgency when you’re facing life behind bars or the death penalty. Although California’s death penalty is currently in legal limbo, it is still the law of the state.

Anyone charged with homicide absolutely needs criminal defense lawyers in their corner who are relentless in defending their legal rights and fight to preserve their freedom, including:

  • Making sure the prosecution conducts its case properly as it attempts to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
  • Having the knowledge, skills and resources to meet deadlines and gather evidence crucial to the outcome of your case.
  • Ensuring an advocate who has been handling cases similar to yours daily for years is fighting on your behalf with your best interests as his or her top priority.

What Should I Do If I’m Accused of Homicide?

Several factors can dictate how a homicide case plays out, such as who the victim was, the criminal record of the alleged perpetrator or the type of homicide, which can include:

  • First Degree Murder
  • Second Degree Murder
  • Felony Murder
  • Justifiable homicide (killing in defense of yourself or others)
  • Manslaughter

In general, those on the wrong side of a homicide charge need to consult with a criminal defense lawyer as soon as possible. The sooner a criminal attorney becomes involved in the case of someone accused of homicide, the better that person’s chances of receiving fair treatment throughout the legal process.

Can a Criminal Defense Attorney Get My Homicide Charges Reduced or Dismissed?

In homicide cases, it is a criminal defense attorney’s job to ensure that prosecutors have to stay within in the limits of the law and a Defendant’s Constitutional rights to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. There are many ways criminal defense lawyers can make sure the legal process is carried out constitutionally and that the burden of proof has been fully met to achieve a conviction, such as:

  • Ensuring all evidence was gathered properly;
  • In the appropriate case, determining and providing proof that a defendant’s mental instability led to the homicide;
  • Investigating the incident and providing evidence that the defendant is the victim of mistaken identity;
  • Proving the homicide was the result of misfortune or an accident;
  • Providing proof that the homicide was justifiable, such as a self-defense killing or a homicide that was the result of an exercise of duty (as can be the case for those in law enforcement during the line of duty).

By holding the prosecution accountable, criminal defense attorneys can help clients in homicide cases obtain dismissals or lessen the charges against them.

Find Me Criminal Defense Lawyers for Homicide in Los Angeles

California criminal attorney Daniel Leib of Leib Law has years of experience helping homicide defendants fight the claims against them. Attorney Leib makes it his mission to ensure his clients receive fair treatment within our criminal justice system, a constitutionally sufficient defense of their case, and the closure they need to move on with their lives.

For more information about homicide defense or to set up a free consultation with a Leib Law criminal defense attorney, call us directly or fill out our online contact form.