Violent Crimes Lawyers Lawrenceville, Gwinnett County

Providing Skilled Defense Against Violent Crimes

Being arrested for a violent crime is frightening and overwhelming. You need an experienced attorney to ensure your constitutional rights are protected and your criminal defense is carefully prepared. At Crawford and Boyle, LLC, our violent crimes lawyers aggressively defend those accused of a violent crime in Walton, Gwinnett and surrounding counties. Call today to schedule a free consultation.

When you are ready to discuss your violent crime defense with our attorneys, call (678) 680-5000 or contact us online to schedule a consultation. 

Why Do I Need a Criminal Defense Lawyer If I’m Charged with a Violent Crime?

Facing criminal charges for a violent crime can be intimidating. You are facing the full weight, power, and resources of the government. An experienced criminal defense attorney can help level the playing field and protect your legal rights throughout the process. When you hire a violent crimes lawyer from Crawford and Boyle, LLC, we can help by:

• Providing legal advice: We can review the charging documents and discuss the situation with you. We can give you a realistic idea about the case against you and the possible consequences, so you can make informed decisions about your case.
• Conducting an independent investigation: The prosecutor and law enforcement agency assigned to your case might only be concerned about securing a conviction against you. Your criminal defense lawyer can conduct a thorough investigation to get to the truth and identify any mitigating circumstances that minimize your criminal culpability.
• Developing a personalized legal strategy: Your criminal defense lawyer can carefully review the circumstances regarding your case to determine the most effective defenses to raise on your behalf.
• Challenging evidence and procedures: Your criminal defense attorney can scrutinize how evidence was collected and your arrest to determine if any procedural violations occurred that might give you grounds to seek a dismissal or reduction of charges.
• Negotiating a plea agreement: Your lawyer can try to negotiate a plea deal on your behalf that protects your long-term interests and advise you whether an offered agreement is a good outcome for your case.
• Representing you at trial: If you decide to proceed to trial, your lawyer represents your interests throughout the legal process. They challenge biased jurors, the strength of the quality of the evidence against you, and the prosecutor’s ability to prove their case against you by proof beyond a reasonable doubt.

If you are being charged with a violent crime in Georgia, contact a violent crimes lawyer today for a confidential consultation.

What Is a Violent Crime in Georgia?

Generally, a violent crime is one that involves the use of force against an alleged victim. This could involve actual applied force, the threat of force, attempted use of force, or the brandishing of a firearm during the commission of a crime. Violent crimes may also result in serious bodily injury or death.

Violent crimes can be charged as aggravated criminal offenses when the defendant uses a weapon or the crime involves vulnerable classes of people, such as children, the elderly, or emergency responders.

Types of Violent Crimes We Handle

The burden of proof lies with the state of Georgia when prosecutors pursue a conviction. This means the prosecutor must prove the accused committed the crime beyond a reasonable doubt.

As the defendant, you don’t have to prove anything. You do need a skilled attorney to identify weaknesses in the prosecutor’s case and explain them to a jury.

We represent clients charged with violent crimes that include:

What Are the Penalties for Violent Crimes in Georgia?

A conviction for a violent crime can affect you for many years or the rest of your life, depending on the specific charges.

You could be facing:

• Substantial prison time
• Large fines
• And more

After your prison sentence and probation are completed, you may find it difficult to secure housing, find a job, and pursue your career and higher education goals. We fight hard to protect you from conviction and defend your rights throughout the process.

What Is the Sentence for Armed Robbery in GA?

Under Georgia law (§ 16-8-41), a person commits armed robbery when taking property from another person, with the intent to commit theft, while using an offensive weapon or device having the appearance of a weapon.

The penalties for armed robbery can include:

• 10 to 20 years in prison
• Life in prison
• Death penalty

Defenses Against Violent Crime Charges

Building a customized defense strategy is critical to protecting your freedom. Depending on the details of your case, effective violent crime defenses may include:

• Self-Defense: Proving you acted lawfully to protect yourself or another person from imminent harm.
• Lack of Intent or Accidental Conduct: Demonstrating that the act was unintended or misconstrued by law enforcement.
• Alibi or Misidentification: Establishing that you were not present at the scene or were wrongfully identified.
• Constitutional Violations: Challenging evidence obtained through unlawful searches, illegal seizures, or rights violations.
• Criminal Appeals & Post-Conviction: Crawford and Boyle, LLC represents clients in criminal appeals before the Georgia Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court of Georgia. We review trial transcripts for judicial errors, file motions for a new trial, and fight to overturn wrongful convictions or reduce severe sentences.

Collateral Consequences of a Violent Crime Conviction in Lawrenceville

A conviction for a violent crime can alter the rest of your life. In addition to the serious criminal penalties identified above, a violent crime conviction can result in various collateral consequences, including:

• The loss of your current job and difficulty finding a new job
• Immigration consequences, including possible removal
• Being ineligible for college admission or financial aid
• Loss of voting and firearm rights
• Loss of child custody rights or visitation

At Crawford and Boyle, LLC, we focus on protecting our clients’ long-term interests. We can advise you of your legal options and pursue the legal route that best aligns with them.

What Defenses Can I Raise Against Violent Crime Charges?

The potential defenses that your lawyer can raise in your case will depend on the specific circumstances. Some of the defenses that your lawyer might consider raising could include:

Self-Defense

In some cases, the defendant may have been trying to protect themselves from harm. In these situations, the defendant might admit to the eventual result, such as the victim’s death or serious bodily injury, but their legal representation asserts that there is a legal justification for their actions.

Defense of Others

Similarly, you may be able to assert that you were defending someone else and that you had legal justification to protect them.

Consent

In some circumstances, the court could determine that an alleged victim consented to a violent crime, such as battery, if the victim agreed to fight.

Lack of Intent

Many violent crime statutes contain an element of intent. For example, the statute might state that you intended to cause harm. If the victim was hurt by accident, this may be enough to prevent a conviction. Or, the defendant could have been intoxicated or mentally incapacitated in such a way that they could not form criminal intent under the circumstances.

Illegal Searches and Seizures

In some cases, law enforcement officers commit constitutional violations or procedural errors that criminal defense attorneys may emphasize in arguments to dismiss or reduce charges. For example, a police officer might conduct a warrantless search of their property in violation of the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution. If your lawyer can successfully show that the search was illegal, anything obtained in that search or any other “fruit of the poisonous tree” can be suppressed. If the government does not have sufficient evidence to proceed with the case, the charges against you could be dismissed.

Procedural Errors

Even if law enforcement’s actions did not rise to the level of an illegal search, there could be grounds to challenge the evidence if it was mishandled or unlawfully obtained.

Mistaken Identity

In some cases, the victim or an eyewitness may mistakenly say that someone committed the crime when it was someone else. In many wrongful conviction cases, erroneous witness identification is to blame. A witness could have misidentified you by name or in a police lineup.

False Allegations

In some cases, an alleged victim or complaining party may fabricate false accusations against the defendant. This could be due to reasons such as:

• Anger
• Jealousy
• Misunderstanding
• Revenge
• Desire to get an advantage in another case

Insufficient Evidence

Because the United States operates under the legal notion of “innocent until proven guilty,” the prosecution bears the burden of proving the defendant committed each and every element of the crime. Criminal defense attorneys can argue that the prosecution has failed to meet this heavy burden.

Contact Our Violent Crimes Lawyer to Maximize Your Chance for Favorable Results

Our violent crimes attorneys prepare every case thoroughly for trial. We start by learning as much as possible about your case and goals. Based on this information, we can build the most appropriate defense for your case.

During the process, we learn the weaknesses of the evidence against you. This allows us to get many cases dismissed or reduced to lesser charges prior to trial.

Don’t wait to get experienced legal advice for a violent crime. Call (678) 680-5000 or send us a message online for a free consultation.