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 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.
Salt Lake City Homicide Defense Attorneys
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 trainer. 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.
Contact an Experienced Utah Murder Defense Lawyer
Contact a Salt Lake City manslaughter defense attorney for a free initial consultation, or call 801-651-1512 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.
