Zionsville Murder Defense Attorney
Murder is the most serious criminal charge, potentially resulting in life in prison or death. You need an aggressive and exceptional legal defense if you or someone you love has been charged with this severe offense. A Zionsville murder defense lawyer is crucial to prepare a strategic defense and protect your future.
Your Zionsville Murder Defense Attorney at The Criminal Defense Team
At The Criminal Defense Team, we have decades of combined criminal defense experience and five attorneys who are board-certified* criminal trial specialists. We also differentiate ourselves from our area competitors by having a former government prosecutor on our side. They used to work-up homicide and felony cases, which now gives us a strong understanding of how to definitively poke holes in the evidence against you.
When you face the life-altering consequences of a serious conviction, you want the most effective criminal defense team on your side. Leveraging more than 100 years of collective work, our team collaboratively handles every case. We have secured several beneficial results in murder cases, including a not guilty verdict for a murder charge in Marion County. There are several benefits to working with our firm, including:
- Teams of at least two attorneys and one paralegal to better support our valued clients
- Resources to manage large discovery in for significant evidence sets
- 24/7 on-call attorney support
- Fast responsiveness and compassionate support
- Aggressive defense strategies
Our firm has experience in both state-level and federal-level courts. Murder charges in Zionsville may be handled by the Superior Court II for Boone County in Lebanon or may be charged at the federal level. The Criminal Defense Team of Baldwin, Perry & Wiley, PC can fight for your future and the ideal outcome to your murder case.
Understanding Murder Charges
Murder is charged when someone commits one of the following offenses:
- Purposefully and knowingly kills another person
- Kills another person while trying to or actually committing another offense, such as arson, carjacking, robbery, rape, child sex trafficking, or kidnapping
- Kills another person while trying to or actually committing certain drug offenses, like manufacturing narcotics or methamphetamine, or dealing in certain scheduled drugs
- Purposely and intentionally kills a fetus except as legally allowed
According to the most recent report by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, there were 377 offenses of murder and nonnegligent manslaughter in Indiana. Murder is the most serious offense you can face, and can even result in the death penalty. It is essential that you work with a criminal defense specialist who can help you protect your life and future.
Criminal Penalties for Murder Charges
Murder is not charged as a certain level or class of felony and instead has its own felony murder penalties. This includes one of the following sentences:
- Between 45 and 65 years of imprisonment, an advisory sentence of 55 years of imprisonment, and a fine of up to $10,000
- Life imprisonment without parole
- The death penalty
A death penalty or life imprisonment sentence can be sought with evidence of at least one aggravating factor present in the offense. When an offender was between 16 and 18 years old when the murder was committed, they face life imprisonment without parole under this section. When the offender has an intellectual disability, they cannot be sentenced to either the death penalty or life imprisonment.
Aggravating Circumstances in Murder Cases
In order for the prosecution to seek life imprisonment or the death penalty, an aggravating circumstance has to be proven beyond a reasonable doubt. Some of these circumstances include:
- The murder was committed intentionally during another criminal offense.
- The defendant was hired to commit the murder or hired another person to commit the murder.
- The person killed was a judge, fireman, law enforcement officer, or similar professional who was acting in the course of their duties, or the murder was because of actions taken in the course of their duties.
- The defendant committed another murder at any other time.
- The defendant dismembered, tortured, burned, mutilated, decapitated, or tried to decapitate the victim while they were alive.
- The victim was a child.
- The defendant was convicted of another crime against the victim, including kidnapping, criminal confinement, a sex crime, and certain battery offenses.
There are numerous other circumstances that can aggravate the sentencing for murder. There are also mitigating factors that can be considered, like not having a prior criminal history or low-level engagement in the murder or felony offense.
Why Is It Important to Hire a Murder Defense Lawyer?
You should hire a murder defense lawyer to give yourself the greatest chance at a beneficial outcome in the case. A lot is at stake. An attorney investigates the case against you, builds a case, listens to you, and helps you understand likely outcomes. They may be able to reduce the charges you face or even avoid conviction entirely. You should never face murder charges without a skilled defense attorney.
Potential Defenses for Murder Charges
Multiple potential defenses can be used against murder charges, and the right one relies on the facts of the case, your arrest, and the evidence against you. An attorney may use defense strategies, including, but not limited to, the following:
- Self-defense. This defense agrees that the offense happened, but that you had a reason to commit the offense, and you used reasonable force in order to prevent serious bodily harm. Deadly force may be reasonable in some cases.
- Accident. If you did not intend to commit the offense, this may reduce the severity of your charges. This does not apply to all types of murder offenses, like those connected to other violent offenses.
- Rights violations. If law enforcement secured evidence through illegal actions, that evidence could be suppressed. This may prevent the prosecution from meeting its burden of proof. Law enforcement may have failed to read you your rights, failed to get a warrant or permission to conduct a search and seizure, or otherwise violated your rights.
- Innocence. If you did not commit the offense, your defense may be able to establish that through your alibi, forensic evidence from the scene of the offense, and other evidence.
Get an Aggressive Legal Defense
At The Criminal Defense Team, we can assess the options for your defense, like rights violations or self-defense, and create a strong strategy to protect your future. We have five board-certified* criminal trial specialists to evaluate your case. Our firm has the experience and resources to handle these complex and serious violent crime and murder charges. Reach out to The Criminal Defense Team today and discuss how we can help you.
*Our attorneys are certified by the National Board of Trial Advocacy.