Manslaughter Defense

Santa Ana Criminal Defense Attorney

Manslaughter in California is defined as the illegal killing of another person without malice; this it, there is no premeditation to commit homicide. Manslaughter is generally used for killings which take place in the heat of the moment. While less serious than murder, a manslaughter charge can endanger your future by putting you behind bars for many years. Get the tested advocacy you need form a Santa Ana criminal defense attorney from our firm today.

Moises Aguilar, Esq. practices criminal defense exclusively and knows what it takes to win cases. He is well-known for aggressively defending clients accused of serious offenses. He has earned an Excellent rating from Avvo for successfully pursuing positive results and doing so with the utmost professionalism. At Moises Aguilar, Esq., you can have access to high-quality and fearless defense you need no matter what you are accused of.

Types of Manslaughter & Defenses

Manslaughter may be considered voluntary or involuntary. To prove a voluntary manslaughter charge, the prosecution needs to show that while in the heat of passion, in a sudden rage, you caused the death of another person. The basis of the charge is that in the moment, you intended to cause severe physical harm to another person.

An involuntary manslaughter charge is slightly less serious and implies that the death or harm that you are accused of causing was unintentional. Essentially, this type of manslaughter charge assumes you acted with reckless disregard for human life and someone was killed as a result.

Defenses for manslaughter charges can include:

• The death was entirely accidental and did not involve recklessness
• The prosecution lacks sufficient evidence
• Wrongful arrest
• The killing was in self-defense

Voluntary manslaughter convictions can result in up to 11 years in prison depending on the existence of any aggravating or mitigating factors such as having a criminal history, the brutality of the crime, and the vulnerability of the victim. Involuntary manslaughter carries up to 4 years in prison and is subject to the same considerations.

Look to Our Firm for Counsel

Our Santa Ana criminal defense lawyer can use any of the above defenses to try and discredit the prosecution's case against you. Even if it is not possible to have your case dismissed, we can work to have your sentence reduced, for instance arguing to have a voluntary manslaughter charge reduced to an involuntary manslaughter one.

Trust our firm to fight hard on your behalf to obtain the best possible outcome for your case!

Call Moises Aguilar, Esq. to schedule your free case evaluation to go over your legal options!