Murder is one of the most serious crimes on the books. If you have been convicted of murder, you could face life in prison, even the death penalty. Even if you are eventually released, you will find it extremely difficult to find housing and jobs with a criminal record carrying a murder charge. If you have been accused of murder, it is absolutely crucial you work with a top Seattle criminal attorney to fight against the charges you are facing. Even in situations where you cannot completely prove your innocence, your crime defense in Seattle, Washington may be able to reduce the charges against you, meaning there will be a lesser sentence for you to serve out.

If you killed someone while driving drunk or on accident, you can be charged with manslaughter. This crime is considered to be murder in the third degree. When a murder was intentional, but unplanned, it will be charged as second degree murder. If it was planned ahead of time, the murder is defined as a first degree murder.

Capital murders are punishable by death. Only certain situations can qualify as a capital murder. When the victim was a police officer, a firefighter, a court official, a juror or a family member, it will be considered capital murder. These charges also apply if more than one person was killed, or if the act was in conjunction with a serious crime such as treason, rape, a prison escape or a contract murder. In many capital murder trials, the Seattle criminal lawyer get the charges reduced to a first degree murder, so the defendant’s life no longer hangs in the balance.

When you are facing serious charges like murder, you need a top Seattle criminal attorney on your side. Our firm will do whatever it takes to help prove your innocence, including an independent investigation of the crime and the recruitment of expert witnesses to review the evidence against you and fight its validity.

If you are facing murder charges, do not wait another second before getting in touch with a skilled Seattle criminal lawyer. The sooner you contact us, the sooner we can begin working on your case.