Category Archives: Violent Crimes
A Life Sentence For Non-Fatal Domestic Violence Is Possible, But It Does Not Happen Overnight
The Eighth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution protects against cruel and unusual punishment. Thus, the courts do not routinely hand down life sentences except in cases of murder, but life imprisonment for repeated convictions for non-lethal crimes is an option, and some so-called “three strikes laws” have required it. Thus, a California man is… Read More »
It Doesn’t Matter Where You Were At The Time Of The Crime If You Hired The Hit Man
Everyone who has ever passed the time during a multi-day snow emergency by reading detective novels or playing murder mystery parlor games has a basic understanding of the alibi defense. When you provide an alibi, you are claiming that you cannot be guilty of the charges because you were somewhere else when the crime… Read More »
Not Guilty By Reason Of Insanity: Be Careful What You Wish For
Affirmative defenses are one way of casting doubt on the prosecution’s allegations against you. When you use an affirmative defense, you are saying that your actions do not fit the definition of the criminal offense being charged, but that this is because of extenuating circumstances, not because you did not commit the act that… Read More »
Prosecutors Drop Charges Against Teen Wounded At Amusement Park Shooting
The dramatic courtroom scenes where a defendant’s lawyer leaves a witness speechless or leaves the jury with reasonable doubt about the defendant’ guilt are the exception to the rule, but they only account for a fraction of the times that criminal defense lawyers are able to present convincing arguments about a defendant’s innocence, thereby… Read More »
Monroeville Man Faces Attempted Murder Charges After Road Rage Shooting
You might expect to see advice on what to do and what not to do after a collision or other traffic mishap on a personal injury law firm website, instead of a criminal defense law firm site, but you can get criminal penalties for certain actions related to car accidents. For example, leaving the… Read More »
Defendant Acquitted Of Aggravated Assault But Convicted Of Simple Assault For Movie Theater Shooting
As Pennsylvania reopens, people who have watched all the movie offerings on Netflix during the pandemic are eager to watch movies in the movie theater, even though going to the movies costs the equivalent of a year’s Netflix subscription and a panic purchaser’s haul worth of microwave popcorn, to say nothing of how you… Read More »
