Virginia Homicide Lawyer

Homicide means causing the death of another person. In Virginia, the taking of another person's life may be charged as murder or manslaughter, depending on the actions and intent leading to the death of the victim. If you have been charged with manslaughter or murder in Virginia, it is imperative that you quickly retain an experienced Virginia homicide lawyer to protect your rights and begin creating a strategy for your murder defense.

Virginia Murder and Manslaughter

In Virginia, an individual accused of killing another person, intentionally or unintentionally, may be charged with one of the following crimes:

Capital Murder
First Degree Murder
Second Degree Murder
Voluntary Manslaughter
Involuntary Manslaughter

Murder charges are the result of an intentional act of homicide. In the case of first degree murder in Virginia, the prosecution must prove that the killing was not only intentional, but was premeditated and planned. Second Degree murder is homicide that is considered intentional, but was not pre-planned. Manslaughter charges are the result of a killing that was not intentional. Voluntary manslaughter refers to a homicide that was carried out in the "heat of the moment," that was spontaneous and when the accused had no prior intent to kill. Involuntary manslaughter refers to incidents in which a person's reckless actions caused the unintentional death of another person, as in Virginia DUI manslaughter.

Our Virginia homicide lawyers and Virginia manslaughter lawyers have the experience necessary to defend you against homicide charges. With a proven record of successful defense, our attorneys bring skilled evaluation of your case and provide resources to support your defense: