Criminal charges of any kind are a serious threat to your future, but they are especially serious when they involve violence or the taking of a person’s life. If you find yourself facing voluntary manslaughter charges, you know that your entire future is on the line. It is of critical importance to find the right defense strategy and to do it quickly.
You may feel hopeless and overwhelmed about the severe nature of the charges against you. While your case is serious, it is possible to defend your innocence and fight for your long-term interests and personal freedom. It may help you to start by learning more about possible defense options in order to determine which one makes the most sense for your situation.
Were you defending yourself?
Situations involving violence frequently involve the need of one person to defend him or herself against another. If you were defending yourself and caused the death of another individual, that is a viable defense. A strong self-defense strategy involves proving that the need for violent force was necessary for that person’s safety and survival. This is not always easy to prove, and it can help to have witness statements or other types of clear proof of your state of mind.
Innocent of the crime
Another viable defense strategy is proving that you are innocent of the crime. In order for the prosecution to get a conviction, they must be able to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that you committed the crime. Until or unless that happens, you are innocent in the eyes of the law. You have the right to vigorously defend yourself, including repudiating any evidence brought by the prosecution.
An unfortunate accident
In order to convict a person of voluntary manslaughter, the prosecution must be able to prove there was an element of intent to the action. It is often difficult to prove a person’s intent, and you may be able to bring evidence that your actions and the subsequent fatality were, in fact, an unfortunate accident.
The right approach for you
Each defense strategy against voluntary manslaughter charges will depend on the circumstances of the individual situation. An assessment of your case will help you see what approach may be right for you as you fight back against voluntary manslaughter charges. If you are unsure of where to start with this process, it may be helpful to seek the counsel of an experienced Maryland defense attorney as soon as possible.