Emily Shelton is skilled in defending against three different types of criminal murder-homicide charges that exist within the Texas statutes, ranging from very severe to less severe.
Murder is committed if a person knowingly or intentionally causes the death of another individual. Even if the person accused of murder only intended to cause bodily harm but committed an act that endangered another and led to the deceased’s death, he or she will still be held responsible for committing murder.
If someone dies while the person accused of murder was attempting to commit a felony, any act that endangers human life and causes the death of another will be considered murder. In that case, a convicted murderer could fact a prison term of 5 – 99 years, or life in prison.
An individual is guilty of manslaughter if they recklessly cause the death of another. A person is said to act recklessly, or is considered reckless, when he or she is aware of but still consciously disregards a substantial and unjustifiable risk that leads to the death of another. Risk of a nature and degree that disregard the safety and well-being of others constitutes a gross deviation from the standard of care that a typical person would exercise under the circumstances.
When someone is behaving in reckless manner, a prosecutor only needs to prove that this was the case, not that murder was the intent. Being convicted for manslaughter is a second degree felony that could result in a prison term of between 2 – 20 years.
A person can be guilty of criminally negligent homicide if they cause the death of someone by criminal negligence. A person acts with criminal negligence when he or she should have been aware of a substantial risk to another but was not. In other words, there was a gross deviation from the standard of care that an ordinary person would exercise under the circumstances. This offense is a state jail felony resulting in not less than 180 days but not more than 2 years in a state jail facility.
You must have a Houston Criminal Defense Attorney who is ready to mount an aggressive defense on your behalf. If you have been charged with the crime of Murder, manslaughter, or criminally negligent homicide, contact Attorney Emily Shelton today.
Address:
405 Main St
Suite 602
Houston, Texas 77002
Phone:
832.888.2803
Fax:
712.224.3111
Email:
emily@esheltonlaw.com