Are you or a loved one facing a murder charge in Connecticut? Your choice of a lawyer will literally be a choice that determine the future of your life. Atkinson Law’s experienced criminal defense lawyers will make an unforgiving process easy to understand and go to war for you! Knowing what to expect is the first step toward beating a murder charge.
What Must The State Prove To Convict A Person Of Murder?
In any murder charge under Conn. Gen. Stat. § 53a-54a, the prosecution must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the person charged with murder intentionally caused the death of another person.
Penalties:
Murder is the most serious felony under Connecticut law. It carries a minimum of 25 years in prison and up to a maximum of 60 years in prison.
How Can You Beat A Murder Charge?
Our experienced murder defense lawyers have a variety of defenses that we can use to beat a murder charge for you. Here are the common ones:
- Self Defense Or Defense of Others: There are few defenses more effective to a murder charge than demonstrating that you acted in self-defense or in defense of others. If you reasonably believed that you or another person are about to suffer imminent death or serious physical injury, you are legally justified in using deadly force to the extent necessary to defend yourself. Self-defense is a complete defense to murder.
- No Intent: Another popular defense to a murder charge. Murder requires the prosecution to prove that you specifically intended to kill someone. If you cause a death by accident or through negligent or reckless conduct, we can likely reduce your charges to manslaughter, which carries a much lighter sentence.
- Alibi: Presenting an alibi defense is also a complete defense to a murder. If you can show that you were somewhere else at the time of the murder, the state cannot convict you of a murder. Modern technology gives you many options to prepare an alibi defense. So too do family, friends, and work colleagues who can testify where you actually were at the time of the murder.
- Extreme Emotional Disturbance: If you suffer a shocking or traumatic event that is the cause of your actions, we can generally use that to mitigate your murder charge to a manslaughter charge, which carries a much lighter sentence. You must prove the defense though.
- Sloppy Police Work: We have all seen the TV shows. Sadly, actual police work can be just as sloppy or sloppier than TV. Forensic evidence can be old, tainted, contaminated, or unlawfully obtained. Interrogations and witness statements can be shaped to fit police theories that are nothing more than fancy and conjecture. Our experienced murder defense attorneys are committed to a rigorous examination of the evidence against you and subjecting every witness to thorough cross-examinations to expose their bad work.
What Should I Do To Defend A Murder Charge?
Nothing weighs more heavily on your family and friends than a murder charge. You need to be prepared to mount an aggressive defense that does not go soft on the prosecution. And you personally need to STOP talking to the police!
We help you navigate the process of a murder charge through aggressive representation that maps out all of your defenses and forces the prosecution to think twice about whether they can prove you guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. If you, a loved one, or a friend are facing a murder charge, give us a call today at 203-677-0782 for a free consultation!
We look forward to helping you demonstrate that you are not guilty of murder!