Violent Crimes Lawyer Compton, CA. When you're up against violent crimes charges, it can feel like the whole world is against you. They risk harming your reputation, devastating your career, and worst of all, a long time in jail or prison. But you have a chance at a more positive outcome. And when you call the Law Offices of David S. Chesley, Inc., you get a shield that will guard you from these devestating consequences. We defend all of the following violent crime categories (and more):
- Assault, Threats, and Interpersonal Harm
- Firearm Mishandling
- Family and Animal Abuse
- Sentencing Enhancements
- Procedural and Governance Charges
Our experienced Compton, CA, violent crimes defense lawyers will investigate your case, give you upfront, straightforward answers, and look for defensive strategies that can be used for your charges. You deserve a defense tailored to you, and we can provide that. If you need to create your defense, contact us at (800) 755-5174 or tell us about your case online today for a no-obligation, private consultation.
The Law Offices of David S. Chesley's Process to Defend You Against Violent Crimes Accusations
Our team of Compton, CA, criminal defense lawyers are aware of how complex violent crimes allegations are, and we give each of our clients' cases a tailored defense. It all starts with the following steps:
- Listen to Your Story – Every case starts with our client. We want to hear your side of the story.
- Research the Statutes and Your Case – We'll research the specifics of the charges and Compton, CA, violent crime law specifics, to see if there are any special circumstances which apply to you.
- Put Together a Defense Strategy – Our lawyers will recommend a defensive strategy such as defense of others, lack of intent, or procedural error.
- Negotiatiate With the State – For many cases, the easiest way to a positive outcome is through a plea deal. When we negotiate plea deals with the state, we don't give up and fight to get something favorable.
- Fight At Trial – If your case reaches trial, we'll present our matchless defense in court and show the judge and/or jury your side of the story.
Understanding Violent Crimes in California: Felony vs. Misdemeanor Charges
In California, "violent crimes" is wide category, including everything from domestic violence to drive-by shootings to firearm offenses. If you're facing accusations of one of these crimes in Compton, CA, it can be intimidating, but don't panic: The prosecution needs to prove elements like your culpability beyond a reasonable doubt. Many cases begin with a preliminary hearing, where we can challenge evidence early. Violent crimes charges carry some of the harshes penalties in California, especially if they are charged as a felony (as opposed to a misdemeanor). Victim testimony plays a key role, but cross-examination can reveal inconsistencies or false accusations.
If you're curious about violent crime distinctions, assault and battery are two separate offenses in Califoria, with different definitions: Assault (Penal Code 240) involves an attempt or threat to harm, while battery (Penal Code 242) involves actually causing harm. Both can be misdemeanors or felonies, depending on severity. If you're facing violent crime charges, the potential sentence depends a lot on the context. Probation is more likely if you don't have any prior convictions on your record, but aggravating factors like a weapon could mean jail time. Our team of violent crimes lawyers uses a varitey of defense strategies depending on the circumstances, including self-defense, claiming rights violation, and showing alibis.
Major Compton, CA, Violent Crime Categories We Defend
Assault, Threats, and Interpersonal Harm Defense Lawyers
If you hear the phrase 'violent crimes,' assault is probably one of the first to come to mind. What's interesting about it is that no harm has to actually be done. To be guilty of assault, one has to attempt "a violent injury on somebody." Most people aren't aware that to be guilty of assault, one only has to attempt to cause harm, not necessarily actually cause harm.
Simple assault charges can already get you months in prison and a $1,000 fine, but you could also potentially face a severe variation on the charges. Aggravated assault types of charges stem from attempts to cause serious harm, rather than just harm in general. Closely related is assault with a deadly weapon: Committing assault while using a weapon other than a gun. These variations aren't official charges, but rather subcategories for more serious assault charges
As discussed above, assault only requires an attempt to cause harm. Battery is similar to assault because both involve attempted harm. However, in battery's case, the harm was successful, rather than simply being attempted. You'll find that in many cases, if you're accused of battery in Compton, CA, you'll also be accused of assault. Meanwhile, criminal threats charges can result even from a nonviolent altercation. All you have to do is intimidate someone. Regardless of whether you wanted to (or even could) follow through on the threats, you can be found guilty.
We also commonly defend reckless endangerment charges in Compton, CA. This can include reckless driving, child endangerment, and similar charges. Due to the difference in individual statutes, it's paramount to hire a violent crimes lawyer who knows not only how to defend against individual charges, but also the combinations of them.
Our lawyers also defend the following violent crimes charges in Compton, CA,:
- False Imprisonment: False imprisonment occcurs when one person wrongfully restrains or confines another, for example, locking another person in a room.
- Kidnapping: Kidnapping consists of taking a person from one location to another against their will.
- Human Trafficking: As opposed to the above allegations, human trafficking is done for specific, extra grim purposes like forced labor or sex.
- Stalking: California stalking law requires more than just following another person who doesn't like it – it also requires that the accused make a credible threat.
- Terrorist Threats: Terrorist threats are another form of criminal threats – you're also likely to see hate crime charges in these cases.
- Torture: Torture is used for particularly grisly allegations of harm, wherein the action was performed for a sadistic purpose.
- Mayhem: Mayhem is like a more advanced version of battery, though in this case, a permanent disfigurement or disability must have been caused.
- Arson: Arson involves the intentional and unlawful burning of property, as opposed to reckless burning, which is an unintentional version of the same things.
- Rioting: Rioting charges can be split into inciting the riot or participating in it, but both are usually charged as misdemeanors.
Firearm Mishandling Defense Lawyers
The right to bear arms comes with many restrictions and responsibilities in Compton, CA. California firearm offenses can result from any number of statute violations, and you don't even have to fire the gun to get in trouble. You can be arrested simply for unlawful possession.
Frequently, possession charges are related to a felon in possession of a firearm, but they could also be the result of having a concealed firearm without a permit or a felon possessing ammunition.
While all Compton, CA, gun charges are important to take seriously, a major differentiator is whether you allegedly used the weapon or not. Brandishing a weapon normally does not include use of the weapon beyond showing it with the intent to scare another person. Most of the time this is charged as a misdemeanor.
On the other hand, discharging a firearm can greatly increase the punishment you're facing. Particularly in cases such as a drive-by shooting or shooting at an inhabited dwelling, you can be looking at years in prison and/or thousands of dollars in fines.
An experienced Compton, CA, violent crimes defense attorney will fight no just to keep you out of prison, but also to prevent further restrictions on your Second Amendment rights.
Family and Animal Abuse Defense Lawyers
No matter what kind of violent crime charge you're facing, it's tough to see a way out. But if family is involved, they get even scarier. Domestic violence has a wider definition than battery on your spouse; it includes intentional or unintentional harm, threats of abuse, and even just causing a situation where someone is afraid they'll be hurt. And for it to qualify as 'domestic,' the alleged victim can be anyone from your spouse to your child to your roommate.
Crimes against children also have their own specific legal categories. Child abuse is reserved for deliberate acts of violence against children (like hitting them), meanwhile child endangerment could be any action that endangers a child, regardless of whether you meant to or not. These charges are often filed together, expanding their seriousness.
Our household violent crimes defense lawyers can help with more than just alleged conflicts between spouses and children. We can also help you fight animal cruelty charges, elder abuse charges, and, if an adolescent or child is the alleged offender, juvenile crime charges.
Sentencing Enhancement Defense Lawyers
If you're facing violent crime charges in Compton, CA, there's a good chance that they're one of the ones above. That said, you can also need to fight elevated charges and/or sentencing enhancement if your case meets certain criteria.
In many cases, the punishments can be heightened via gang enhancements. When an alleged offender has a past history of supposed gang activity, and this new charge was in some way related to a gang, anywhere from 4 years to life can be added onto the sentence, depending on the alleged crime. Conspiracy charges are dangerous because you can face penalties without having personally done something actively wrong. You could be convicted of conspiracy if you collaborate with somebody else to commit a crime, and either one of you does something that furthers the commission of the crime.
Another way you can see your sentence raised is if you're accused of a hate crime. While hate crimes can be standalone offenses, they are often used as enhancements to other crimes. The district attorney in Compton, CA is likely to apply a hate crime label if the alleged offender's motivation was related to race, religion, sexuality, or another protected characteristic.
Additionally, our Compton, CA, violent crimes attorneys can help defend you against California's three strikes law. This law allows the government to keep track of your criminal history and assign "strikes" to certain felony convictions. With one prior strike, sentences for felony convictions are doubled, and you will have a harder time securing early release. When convicted and given a third strike, the penalty could be 25-years-to-life in prison, with additional limitations on parole.
Procedural and Governance Charges Defense Lawyers
When you get into an altercation with the police in Compton, CA, you can expect to face extra harsh violent crime charges. Assault on a police officer is more heavily penalized than assault against other civilians, while resisting arrest covers actions ranging from stealing a police officers gun to just acting disobediently. Obstructing a police officer is a closely related set of charges, though this can broadly apply to anything done to get in their way, whether or not they were trying to arrest you.
In most cases, if you're accused of a violent crime in Compton, CA, you'll be in municipal court against a local prosecuting attorney. On some occasions, when the accusations are especially severe, a federal prosecutor may take over. You don't want to go to federal court alone. You don't want to face the full force of the United States government without help. The Law Offices of David S. Chesley, Inc., is equipped to represent you against federal crimes as well as state charges.
Additional Miscellaneous Violent Crime Defense Services We Offer
- Aggravated Battery
- Assault With Force Likely to Produce Great Bodily Injury
- Battery On a Spouse or Cohabitant or Dating Partner
- Contempt for Violating a Domestic Violence Court Order
- Corporal Injury on a Spouse or Cohabitant
- Dissuading a Witness or Victim/Witness Intimidation
- Expungement/Record Clearance After Violent Crime Conviction
Violent Robberies and Related Offenses: Armed Robbery, Carjacking, and Burglary
Robbery lawyer services are essential if you're facing charges like robbery or home invasion. These can carry penalties up to 9 years or 20 years, respectively. The use of a weapon is often an enhancing factor for sentencing..
Plea negotiations play a key role in defending violent robbery charges. By working with the state, a skilled violent crimes defense attorney can potentially reduce charges to misdemeanors. If you're on parole or have prior convictions, these can trigger enhancements. Particularly for violent robberys, you're more likely to be given a restraining order against he alleged victim.
Top 3 Violent Crimes Defense Lawyer Qualities
You don't want to go into a violent crimes case without the right lawyer. When you're picking a lawyer to fight your case in Compton, CA, you want a legal team with the below 3 qualities:
- Prior Success: You don't want someone who's new to the California legal system, or new to your type of charge. Our team has a history of successful violent crime case results.
- Diverse Legal Experience: Our team has over 50 years of combined courtroom experience, including time as prosecutors, judges, and police officers. We know how the state builds its case against you, and how to poke holes in it.
- Local Relationships: We handle court cases all over California, including in Compton, CA. We have relationships with local prosecutors and judges, and will use them to your advantage.
With a legal team with these qualifications defending you from violent crimes allegations, you'll get the best chance of a positive outcome. And with the Law Offices of David S. Chesley, Inc., you'll get those qualities.
Defending Against California's Three Strikes Law in Compton
California's Three Strikes Law (Penal Code 667) can turn a seemingly straightforward case in Compton, CA, into something much more serious. This law can be devastating for repeat offenders, who face a sentence of 25 years to life after a third serious or violent felony conviction. Because of this, it's even more critical for you to work with an expert violent crimes defense lawyer if you have any prior convictions on your record.
You need a law office with extensive resources to fight against Three Strikes cases. And the Law Offices of David S. Chesley has those resources. If you're facing a strike-eligible charge like robbery, assault with a deadly weapon, or kidnapping, one conviction counts as a strike, doubling future sentences or imposing life terms. For example, a third strike for shoplifting (if priors are strikes) could mean life—though reforms limit this to violent thirds.
Defense Strategies Against Three Strikes Charges in Compton, CA:
- File Romero Motions: Romero motions protect you by asking a judge to ignore a prior strike that is not fair to use against you. Success rates are high with compelling arguments, like rehabilitation or procedural errors in old cases.
- Resentencing Petitions: After Proposition 36 was passed in 2012, thousands of people have been resentenced. Our legal team will petition for a reduction in sentences when your third strike was non-violent.
- Avoiding New Strikes: In current cases, we negotiate pleas to non-strike offenses, like misdemeanor assault instead of felony. Showing lack of intent is key in thse cases.
- Constitutional Challenges: Depending on the context of your case, we can argue that the sentence is unconstitutional, and constitutes cruel and unusual punishment. We can also look into prior cases to see if there were any procedural errors that should have resulted in an acquittal.
- Impact on Parole and Life After Conviction: Strikes delay parole eligibility. A skilled criminal defense attorney like the ones at the Law Offices of David S. Chesley will fight for your early release and/or expungement of your record.
A Compton, CA, client with two priors faced a third strike for assault on a peace officer. By proving self-defense and procedural errors (improper Miranda), we got the charge reduced, avoiding life. The District Attorney often pushes hard, but jury trials reveal biases in victim testimony. With over 20 years defending Three Strikes, I've secured dismissals in 70% of cases by exploiting weaknesses.
Minorities and low-income individuals are frequently affected by California's Three Strikes law in Compton, CA. Right now, a high-quality defense is needed to protect alleged offenders from lifelong impacts. If searching "California Three Strikes Law defense," know it's winnable—contact me to review your priors.
Tenatious Defenses Against Violent Crime Charges – Call Our Lawyers Now
Don't try to face violent crimes accusations alone. The court system is complex. The Compton, CA, district attorney is strong. And the sentences are tough. If you're lacking an expert violent crimes lawyer to defend you, your innocence and constitutional rights are in danger.
At the Law Offices of David S. Chesley, Inc., we don't stand idly by and let the state build its case. We don't settle for a bad plea deal, just because it was the first one offered. We confront the charges. We listen to your story, craft a resolute defense, and fight for your rights from day one until the case is concluded.
Contact us now to begin putting together your defense. Call us at (800) 755-5174 or tell us about your case via our online contact form to speak with amember of our legal team about how to defend you.
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