Killing another person, intentionally or unintentionally, is perhaps the most serious crime in the United States. The potential punishments and convictions associated with it are equally severe. If you have been charged with criminal homicide, you may be facing a substantial prison sentence up to lifetime incarceration.
At Eisenberg Law Offices, located in Madison, we know that our clients entrust us with their lives and freedom – we are well-versed in federal and Wisconsin homicide laws and know what it takes to win, negotiate, or mitigate your case.
Criminal Homicide In Wisconsin
Wisconsin laws define criminal homicide as the intentional killing of another person or unborn child. The criminal homicide charges include: felony murder, intentional homicide, reckless homicide, OWI or drunk driving homicide and negligent homicide.
Felony murder falls under the category of intentional homicide. It is the intentional or unintentional killing of another person during the commission of another crime. Felony murder is a Class A Felony, the penalty for which is a mandatory life sentence in prison. Criminal murder attorneys at Eisenberg Law Offices will take your Wisconsin felony murder case and ensure that your rights are not violated at any stage of the proceedings.
Intentional homicide is further classified into:
(1) First degree intentional homicide, which is a Class A Felony offense (lifetime imprisonment). This is a premeditated and deliberate homicide involving the intent to kill another person. Presence of mitigating circumstances can reduce the first degree intentional homicide to second degree or other lesser homicide. Mitigating circumstances can include: self defense, provocation (also referred to as “heat of passion” crime), prevention of another felony, mental disease, coercion or necessity.
(2) Second degree intentional homicide (formerly known as manslaughter), which is a Class B felony offense (up to 60 years prison sentence). Eisenberg Law Offices criminal defense attorneys will thoroughly investigate all the evidence in your case to ensure you are fairly and professionally represented.
Unintended victim homicide is a homicide in which the actual victim is not the intended one. Unintended homicides involve a situation in which an act was not intended to cause a death, but death resulted. In both circumstances, the homicide can be charged as a crime. The experience of our Madison criminal defense attorneys has proven that only a meticulously and professionally prepared defense can influence the court proceedings and penalties given for such charges.
Killing of an unborn child and concealing the death of a child are serious crimes in the state of Wisconsin. A person killing an unborn child can be charged with murder – the criminal charge is the same as for a live child. A person concealing the body of a child with intention to prevent its discovery, whether the child was born alive or dead, can be charged with a felony.
Enlisting Professional Legal Help against Homicide charges in Wisconsin
Since criminal homicide charges can change your life forever, it is of utmost importance to ensure that you have done all you can to avoid any mistaken convictions. Although the purpose of criminal trials is to prove guilt, often a defendant must prove innocence instead.
Considering the gravity of criminal homicide charges, enlisting professional and experienced criminal defense attorneys must be on the top of your priorities list – this is one of the important choices which will influence your future. If you are being investigated for or are facing murder charges and need an experienced attorney to defend you, contact the criminal defense attorneys at Eisenberg Law Offices to review your case.