Nassau County Murder

Murder is one of most severely punished and heinous crimes across the state of New York. When your inaction or actions contribute the death of another person, prosecutors will frequently explore the consequences quite seriously. Seeking maximum punishment and jail time are two of the most common ways in which prosecutors in New York will evaluate criminal defense charges linked to murder.

These charges are so serious that they could even result in death penalty or life in prison without the possibility of parole depending on the severity of the crime committed. If you have been convicted with first degree murder, aggravated murder or second degree murder allegations, you could be facing one of the following consequences:

• Life in prison without parole
• Up to 25 years in prison
• The death penalty

Understanding the differences between homicide and murder charges in New York is important. While both of these situations refer to the killing of another individual, homicide may result from reckless actions or an accident. Extremely reckless actions or premeditated killing of someone else, however, would lead to murder charges.

There are several different criminal offenses included under the umbrella term of homicide. These include:

• Manslaughter in the second degree. Second degree manslaughter charges may apply if you were committing another crime and wound up killing someone else. However, this does not require premeditation.

• Manslaughter in the first degree. First degree manslaughter charges may apply if you unintentionally cause the death of another person who you intended to physically hurt or cause the death of a third party while attempting to commit someone else’s murder.

• Vehicular manslaughter in the first degree. If you have caused the death of someone else while violating traffic laws or driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, you could be facing these charges.

• Vehicular manslaughter in the second degree. Vehicular manslaughter charges maybe applicable to your case in the second degree if you unintentionally caused the death of someone else because you were operating a vehicle under the influence or breaking traffic laws.

• Criminally negligent homicide. You could be charged with criminally negligent homicide if your recklessness or carelessness or indifference caused someone else’s death. If a person was killed in a DWI accident, for example, the prosecution may pursue criminally negligent homicide charges.

• Murder in the first degree. If you have killed someone else with malicious intent, you may be facing the most serious of murder charges in the first degree.

• Murder in the second degree. If you carried out the pre-meditated killing of another person, this may lead to second degree murder charges. This is different from first degree offenses when the offender is able to illustrate that they were emotionally disturbed at the time the crime was committed.

• Aggravated criminally negligent homicide. If your recklessness, indifference or carelessness lead to the death of a police officer or peace officer while in the process of carrying out their job duties, you may be facing these crimes.

An experienced Nassau County murder defense attorney can go a long way towards giving you the peace of mind and confidence necessary to pursue a response to these allegations. Any crime of homicide or murder is serious in New York and should elevate your level of concern to the point that you retain a lawyer immediately. Police officers may try to encourage you to cooperate with them and to provide as much information regarding the situations as possible.

However, you also need to take your case seriously by sharing your concerns about your arrest or any other violations of your rights directly with your attorney. Your attorney's ability to investigate the situation and to discover evidence that could help to support your freedom is crucial for your future so do not hesitate to reach out to an attorney who has a reputation for aggressively defending those accused of these most serious charges.

With your future on the line, waiting too long could jeopardize your chances to successfully defend against life in prison and other penalties. Thankfully, a lawyer who knows the law and how these charges are treated in NY is a major asset for you.