Clearwater Violent Crime Lawyer
Violent crimes include any criminal acts that are committed with the use of force or threat of force. In many cases, the violence is a means to an end — for example, physical force or threats used to take money or property from another person. Violent crimes may be categorized as misdemeanors or felonies in Florida, depending upon the nature and circumstances of the crime, but they all can carry harsh legal consequences for anyone convicted.
If you’ve been arrested for a violent crime in Pinellas, Pasco, or Hillsborough County, it’s vital to get an experienced Tampa Bay criminal defense lawyer on your side ASAP. A conviction for a violent crime is likely to lead to lengthy prison time, significant fines, and other serious consequences. A Clearwater violent crime lawyer at King Law Group is ready to protect your rights and your freedoms after your violent crime arrest.
Categories of Violent Crime
A seasoned violent crime defense lawyer at Clearwater criminal defense firm King Law Group represents clients charged with all types of violent crimes. We help Florida defendants charged with all violent offenses, including:
- Homicide. Homicide refers to the wrongful killing of another person and includes a range of crimes including manslaughter, murder, and vehicular manslaughter. Homicide is one of the most severe crimes and is punished accordingly.
- Robbery. Robbery covers theft from another person through the use of violence or threat of violence and carries harsher penalties than many other theft crimes.
- Assault and Battery. Assault and battery are actually two separate crimes: Assault refers to threatening to harm another person, while battery is the crime of actually causing bodily harm to another person.
- Kidnapping. The crime of kidnapping can be charged if a defendant forcibly, secretly, or through threats confines, abducts, or imprisons another person, with the intent to hold them for ransom, terrorize them, inflict bodily harm on them or commit another felony against them.
- Domestic Violence. Domestic violence in Florida is defined as assault or battery committed against any family or household member. Domestic violence can cover a range of offenses including assault and battery, stalking, kidnapping, false imprisonment, and sex crimes committed against spouses, children, and other household members.
- Arson. Arson refers to inflicting damage to a dwelling or other structure using fire or an explosion. Arson is a serious crime even if no one is present or inside the building.
Weapons Enhancements
In Florida, possession of a firearm or other deadly weapon during the commission of a violent crime severely enhances the potential penalty. The state’s “10-20-life” law requires the court to impose hefty mandatory minimum sentences for most violent felonies (aggravated assault, aggravated battery, robbery, murder, etc.) committed if the defendant used a firearm during the commission of the offense.
Florida’s Stand Your Ground Law
One of the principal defenses to violent crimes such as assault, battery, and homicide is that the defendant was acting in self-defense. In Florida, people have the right to defend not only their person but their home as well. Floridians do not have a “duty to retreat” in order to avoid violence but are instead protected under the “Stand Your Ground” law.
In Florida, a person is justified in using or threatening to use any non-deadly force when they believe it is reasonably necessary to defend themselves or another person against the use of unlawful force. A person can employ deadly force (or threaten to do so) when they reasonably believe it necessary to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm to themselves or another person or to prevent the imminent commission of a forcible felony.
Florida law also grants people the right to protect their personal property and real property. People can use force (other than deadly force) to protect their home or personal property and may employ deadly force to the extent reasonably necessary to prevent the “imminent commission of a forcible felony.” A seasoned Clearwater criminal defense attorney from King Law Group can advise you as to your rights concerning the defense of yourself, your family, your property, and your home, and how that may impact your criminal case.
Violent Crime Defense Attorney Serving Clients Across the Tampa Bay Area
If you’ve been arrested or charged with a violent crime in the Tampa Bay area, you need help from a dedicated legal advocate. A seasoned Clearwater violent crime defense lawyer at King Law Group is ready to hear your case. At King Law Group, we put our clients first, and we make sure that they get the individual attention their case deserves. If you’ve been arrested or charged with assault, battery, homicide, or other violent crimes in Clearwater, St. Petersburg, New Port Richey, Tampa or anywhere else in the Tampa Bay Area, call a Clearwater criminal defense lawyer at King Law Group today for a free consultation.
