Everett Manslaughter Defense Lawyer

Fighting manslaughter charges effectively requires help from a knowledgeable, experienced attorney. These charges are serious, and convictions bring penalties affecting your freedom, finances, relationships, and overall future. You can trust an Everett homicide charges lawyer from Puget Law Group to design a legal strategy to meet the needs of your case.

The National Trial Lawyers Association recently recognized our firm with the Golden Gavel Award for the second year in a row. We know what it takes to mount a powerful defense, and an Everett manslaughter defense lawyer is ready to put our award-winning services to use for you. A prompt partnership increases the probability of a successful case outcome, so do not wait another minute to reach out.

What to Do After an Arrest on Manslaughter Charges

When you are arrested on manslaughter charges, law enforcement will put you in handcuffs, read you your rights, and take you into police custody. At the precinct, you will be taken through the booking process and will be fingerprinted and photographed. Officers will confiscate and catalog your personal items and put you in jail as you await arraignment.

You have the right to call an attorney and should absolutely use that right. While in jail, you do not have to–and should not–speak to law enforcement or anyone else about your alleged offense or the circumstances surrounding your charges. Instead, connect with an Everett criminal defense lawyer.

Your attorney will monitor any conversations you have with law enforcement, speaking for you or guiding your responses so you do not say anything that could be used against you.

The team at Puget Law includes former prosecutors, so we know the other side’s strategies and how to protect you. Our client testimonials speak to our history of success.

Manslaughter Charges and Penalties

Some clients have asked us why they should hire a criminal defense lawyer if I’m not guilty. If our justice system were perfect and incapable of making errors, they might not need to. Unfortunately, even the most upstanding judges and prosecutors can make mistakes, as demonstrated in research cited by the Innocence Project, which reports a 6% wrongful conviction rate in general prison populations. 

Under Washington State Law RCW 9A.32.060, law enforcement can issue manslaughter charges if a person:

• Recklessly causes the death of someone else, or
• Purposefully and “unlawfully kills an unborn quick child” by injuring the child’s mother

Under RCW 9A.32.070, law enforcement can issue second-degree manslaughter charges if a person, through criminal negligence, causes the death of someone else. Second-degree manslaughter lacks the factor of intent on the part of the alleged offender but involves a criminal act.

For example, if you cause a car accident because you were texting while driving and someone dies, or if you discharge a firearm while having an argument and kill someone, you may be charged with involuntary manslaughter.

Penalties for Manslaughter Charges

First-degree manslaughter is a class A felony, and second-degree is a class B felony. To give yourself the best chance of seeing your charges and penalties reduced or dismissed, secure representation from an Everett manslaughter defense attorney right away. RCW 9A.20.021 establishes the following as possible penalties for manslaughter convictions:

• For class A felonies, you can be sentenced to state prison for life, assigned a fine of $50,000, or face both consequences
• For class B felonies, you can be sentenced to state prison for a 10-year term, assigned a fine of $20,000, or face both consequences.

Of course, there are additional non-legal penalties. Prison time separates you from loved ones, potentially changing or ending relationships with friends and family, and steep fines can bring financial ruin. Once released from prison, you can experience problems finding employment or housing.

How a Manslaughter Defense Lawyer in Everett, WA, Can Help You

Puget Law Group knows how to prepare for a criminal trial. While we prepare a strategy, we also prepare you for what is to come so you know you are part of the process and feel equipped and empowered as your case progresses. We know emotions run high– it is easy to become overwhelmed when facing charges–and we will give you personal support along with exceptional legal representation.

Your manslaughter defense lawyer in Everett, WA, will work to gather critical evidence to support your defense and expose holes in the prosecution’s version of events.

We can look for flaws in their forensic evidence or how the evidence was gathered, expose inconsistencies in their witnesses’ statements, or present other explanations for what actually happened. We will leave no avenues of information unexplored, and our thorough investigation will help us design a defense strategy that works best for your case.

If it is not possible to have your charges dismissed completely, your attorney can still negotiate to have them reduced by presenting mitigating factors.

Mitigating factors are aspects of your case that could make the court look more favorably on you or see you as less culpable. For example, you may have a clean criminal record, show true remorse, or have committed the crime at a young age. 

Possible Defenses for Manslaughter Charges

The defense your manslaughter defense attorney in Everett, WA, constructs depends on the specifics of your case. Our team does not apply “cookie-cutter” defenses. Evidence may support the following defenses:

• Self–defense: You acted out of self-protection.
• Excusable homicide: You were not committing an unlawful act when the death occurred, and the death was accidental. The State of Washington recognizes this defense in RCW.9A.16.030
• Coerced confession: Law enforcement may have tricked you into confessing to an act you did not commit.
• Lack of intent: If you did not intend to harm the person killed, charges of first-degree manslaughter do not apply.

Get the Powerful Legal Defense You Need

If you have been charged with manslaughter, a skilled manslaughter defense attorney in Everett, WA, can help. Contact Puget Law Group as soon as possible for a free case review.

Our team is prepared to protect your rights and demand fair treatment by the criminal justice system, and we will fight to get you the best case resolution possible.