Defense Against Utah Murder and Manslaughter Charges
One crime for which there is no statute of limitations is murder. If a life has ended, charges can be brought at any time. When deciding on what charge to bring, the prosecutor will examine intent and circumstances and then bring charges of murder or manslaughter:
Murder: If the prosecutor believes he or she can get the jury to think there was planning or intent, then murder will be charged. Even if the person being charged was only trying to hurt the other person, not kill him or her, use of a deadly weapon in an attack can imply the intent to commit murder.
Manslaughter: This can be charged as voluntary or involuntary. Voluntary manslaughter does not involve planning but usually something occurred that provoked a person to lose control. However, if too much time passed between the original incident and the death, a jury is likely to infer there was planning.
Involuntary manslaughter most often involves a death caused by negligence. For example, a driver could be charged with involuntary/vehicular manslaughter if he or she was driving drunk and caused a fatal crash.
The Utah murder defense lawyers at Greg Smith and Associates fight to protect the rights of people accused of violent crimes in Salt Lake City and surrounding communities. Our lead attorneys have prosecutorial experience, and one was even a police officer. We understand how criminal cases are investigated, charged and brought to court. We use that knowledge to build an effective legal defense.
We will aggressively defend your rights if you have been charged with first-degree murder or second-degree murder.
You can count on our firm for a strong defense. We regularly advise other attorneys on critical issues in criminal law. Our legal insights and opinions have also been aired on "Good Morning America" and printed in national newspapers such as USA Today.
Contact an Experienced Utah Murder Defense Lawyer
Contact a Salt Lake City manslaughter defense attorney for a free initial consultation, or call 801-924-4934 or toll free 888-708-8867 to schedule a meeting at our West Jordan or Park City law office. We defend clients in Salt Lake City, Provo, Orem, Park City and surrounding communities in Utah.
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Clients with disabilities or impairments
Access to our office is available to clients and their family members at all times. Special equipment and communication devices are available upon request for our clients with visual, hearing, speech and physical impairment. In addition, arrangements can be made for verbal or sign language interpreters if needed to communicate between our attorneys and the client and family. Please notify our law office if any additional accommodations related to your disability or impairment are necessary to make your consultation more comfortable.
