You Deserve the Best Outcome – Trust Our Murder Defense Lawyers in Dallas, TX to Make it Happen
Homicide charges are terrifying and require the assistance of a skilled murder defense attorney in Dallas, TX. Contact Spangler Law for information and support.
Dallas Murder Defense Lawyers
In a state that holds the record for the most people executed for severe crimes since 1976, Texas is one state in which you would not want to be facing criminal charges for murder.
In most cases, if convicted of the felony charge of murder, life in prison without the possibility of parole is a typical sentence. In Dallas, Tx, the death penalty is a possibility for those convicted of capital crimes.
The criminal defense strategy in murder cases should be determined before you go to trial in a Northern District Texas criminal court or federal criminal law court.
Due to the severe punishment for a murder conviction in Dallas, Tx, you need a criminal defense attorney in Dallas, Texas, if you are the subject of a criminal law investigation.
How Does Texas Define Murder?
According to the Texas Penal Code, criminal homicide is committed when a person causes the death of another intentionally, knowingly, recklessly, or with criminal negligence. It includes murders, manslaughters, and negligently committed homicides.
Murder
A person is considered guilty of murder in the state of Texas if they:
- Intentionally and deliberately cause another person’s death
- Conduct an act so harmful to human life that the victim dies as a direct result of the harm done to them
- Perform or attempt a criminal act that endangers human life and directly leads to the death of another person.
Capital Murder
Capital murder is a considerably more severe crime than simple murder, and there are several ways the court might prosecute someone. The crime of capital murder is committed if the offender:
- Kills a police officer
- Commits murder while serving time in jail
- Killed someone on purpose while committing a crime, such as drug crimes
- Kills another person for money or pays someone else to do it
- Committing many murders in the course of a single criminal offense
- Murders a minor, such as can happen in sex crimes
- Kills someone while breaking out of jail
- Kills a prison worker or inmate while incarcerated in a Texas criminal facility
- Murders in retribution for the work or position of a law enforcement office
Manslaughter
A person is guilty of manslaughter if they “recklessly caused the death of an individual.” Recklessness is defined as “knowing but intentionally disregarding a considerable and unjustified danger” that one’s actions may cause the death of another person.
Murder Caused by Criminal Negligence
When someone causes the death of a person by criminal carelessness, they are guilty of “criminal negligence” because they should have been aware that their actions could have caused “considerable and justified danger” of death to another person.
When you face criminal charges for murder, hiring an experienced criminal defense attorney that understands criminal law and the Dallas county legal system is the best decision you can make.
Is Murder a Felony in Dallas, TX?
In Texas, any criminal case carrying a sentence of one year or more is considered a felony.
Murder is a first-degree felony in Dallas, Tx, and carries a prison sentence of five years to life. When a defendant causes the death under the influence of sudden passion stemming from an adequate cause, the offense is punishable as a second-degree felony with a maximum prison sentence of 20 years.
The Five Degrees of Felony Charges in Texas
There are five distinct types of felonies in Dallas, Tx, and they include:
State Jail Felony
A “state jail felony” is the lowest category of a felony in criminal law and is subject to specific state sentencing and parole guidelines by the Texas Board. A conviction for a state jail felony, such as criminally negligent homicide or identity theft in Dallas, carries jail time of between 9 months and two years in a Texas State Jail facility and a fine of up to $10,000.
3rd Degree Felony
The nature of the criminal law offenses that can be classified as 3rd-degree felonies and the range of charges in connection with them is broad. However, crimes that are too widespread, such as theft, fraud, or the malicious damage of property, may be considered a felony of the third degree.
In Dallas, Tx, a third-degree felony conviction carries a prison sentence of between two and ten years. A fine of up to $10,000 may also be imposed. Community supervision (probation) or deferred adjudication may also be granted to a defendant, depending on their criminal records and the nature of the offense.
2nd Degree Felony
Arson, robbery, sexual assault, intoxication, manslaughter, drug possession of 50 pounds or more of marijuana, or indecent contact with a child are all examples of second-degree felonies in Dallas, Tx. Punishment for a second-degree felony can range from two to twenty years in prison with a $10,000 fine.
1st Degree Felony
A felony of the first degree is one of the most severe sorts of crime, second only to a capital felony. It has the broadest possible range of imprisonment of any felony degree, and those found guilty are also subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of incarceration.
A person convicted of a first-degree felony in Texas faces a mandatory minimum prison term of five years and a maximum jail sentence of 99 years in the (T.D.C.J.) Texas Department of Criminal Justice Institutional Division. Also, an additional fine of up to $10,000 may be imposed.
Capital Felony
In Texas, only the most heinous federal and state crimes qualify for the death penalty. In Texas, only capital murder carries the death penalty. Capital felonies are usually prosecuted under criminal law as federal crimes.
If the state files a notice to seek the death penalty, and the defendant is found guilty of a Capital Felony, they face a lifetime in prison without the possibility of release or the death sentence under Texas criminal law. If the state does not pursue the death penalty, people convicted of these complex federal cases in Texas must serve their sentence in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice facility.
With extensive experience in these types of criminal law cases, Spangler Law can provide you with an effective defense and work tirelessly to achieve the best possible outcome. Call our law office to schedule an appointment with an experienced criminal defense lawyer.
Why Hire Spangler Law as your Criminal Defense Lawyers for your murder case?
At Spangler Law, we feel that no one facing criminal charges should go through the process alone. Our mission is to provide criminal defense and protect our customers’ interests and constitutional rights using the most effective criminal defense techniques while treating them with the utmost respect.
A Dallas criminal defense attorney will guide you through your case and inform you about criminal defense law and the criminal justice system.
With Spangler’s criminal defense attorneys, you can rely on our attorneys to represent you in state and federal cases for violent criminal cases, domestic violence, and white-collar crimes in Dallas, Texas. Our practice areas include DWI or DUI, assault and family violent crimes, fraud, drug offenses, and theft law.
For aggressive representation in your criminal case, contact our Spangler Law to speak with a criminal defense attorney in Dallas, Texas, today!
