Violent Crimes

Southlake Violent Crimes Defense Attorney

If you’re charged with a violent crime, it can change your life, and not in a good way. In Tarrant County, or anywhere in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, you’ll need to speak quickly with a Southlake violent crimes defense attorney at Barrett Legal PLLC. Local law enforcement agencies thoroughly investigate allegations of violent crime, and prosecutors aggressively pursue convictions.

When the system targets you with a serious criminal charge, your career, freedom, and future can hang in the balance. A Southlake violent crimes defense lawyer at Barrett Legal PLLC understands what you face when confronting the Texas legal system. We can intervene immediately, prepare a strong defense, and strive for the best possible result.

Don’t speak to the police without a lawyer at your side. If you are accused of a violent crime in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, or if you expect to be accused of such a crime, promptly call Barrett Legal PLLC at 817-512-7044 to schedule a confidential discussion of your case with an experienced Texas criminal defense attorney.

Understanding Violent Crime Accusations

Violent crimes often mean bodily injury or death for victims and bystanders. A violent crime usually entails the use, attempted use, or threat of physical force. Law enforcement officers and prosecutors treat violent criminal offenses as top priorities. Prosecutors in Tarrant County have extensive investigative resources. They analyze physical evidence, interrogate witnesses, and seek maximum penalties.

A Southlake violent crimes defense attorney at Barrett Legal PLLC can scrutinize every detail of the prosecution’s case, determine if the police violated your rights, and prepare an appropriate and effective defense strategy based on your unique circumstances.

What Violent Felony Cases Do We Handle?

Texas imposes harsh penalties on offenders convicted of violent crimes. Our defense team handles the full range of violent crime cases, including these:

  1. Simple assault occurs when someone recklessly or intentionally causes injury, threatens bodily harm, or makes offensive contact. Offensive contact without injury is a Class C misdemeanor, but assault causing bodily injury is a Class A misdemeanor, carrying up to one year in county jail.
  2. The charge is aggravated assault if the perpetrator causes serious bodily injury or brandishes a deadly weapon. Aggravated assault is a second-degree felony, but if the aggravated assault is also a crime of domestic violence, it becomes a first-degree felony.
  3. Domestic violence claims carry immediate consequences. Repeat domestic violence allegations or claims involving strangulation raise a misdemeanor assault charge to a third-degree felony.
  4. A robbery is a theft committed while intentionally or recklessly causing injury or placing someone in fear of imminent harm. If the offender exhibits a deadly weapon or targets an elderly or disabled victim, the charge is aggravated robbery, a first-degree felony.
  5. In Texas, murder is intentionally causing someone’s death or causing death by committing an act clearly dangerous to human life. Murder is a first-degree felony. Capital murder is a murder committed in the commission of specific felonies or the murder of a police officer.

Penalties for Texas Violent Crime Convictions

Whether you are entirely innocent or guilty as charged, a violent crime conviction in Texas will damage your family, possibly send you to prison, take some of your rights, and create a criminal record that cannot be sealed or expunged.

The ramifications of a violent crime conviction can alter the course of your life. Penalties are based on the severity of the crime, whether a weapon was involved, the offender’s criminal history, and other considerations. These are the standard sentences for violent criminal convictions:

  1. Class A misdemeanor: Up to a year in jail and a fine of up to $4,000.
  2. Third-degree felony: From 2 to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.
  3. Second-degree felony: From 2 to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.
  4. First-degree felonies: From 5 to 99 years, or life in prison.
  5. Capital felony: Mandatory life imprisonment without parole, or the death penalty.

Additional Consequences

If you hold a professional license in Texas and receive a violent crime conviction, your state professional licensing board may take disciplinary action. If you are not a United States citizen, a conviction for a violent crime may prompt a removal order.

A violent felony conviction deprives you of important rights, including voting and firearm ownership. It can damage your employment prospects and housing opportunities. If you’re accused of a violent crime, you must make the call to a Southlake violent crimes defense lawyer at the first opportunity.

Defense Strategies in Texas Violent Crime Cases

No single legal strategy fits every client and case. At Barrett Legal PLLC, we investigate every angle of the state’s case to build a compelling defense. We independently investigate what happened, gather physical evidence, speak with witnesses, and identify weaknesses and flaws in the prosecution’s case. Common and often effective defenses offered in Texas violent crime cases include:

  1. Self-defense and the defense of others: In Texas, a person has the legal right to use reasonable force, including deadly force, when they reasonably believe it is immediately necessary to protect themselves or another person against unlawful force.
  2. Lack of criminal intent: Many violent offenses require prosecutors to prove that you acted intentionally or knowingly. If what happened was an accident or caused by a misunderstanding, a good defense attorney will highlight your absence of criminal intent.
  3. Defense of property: In Texas, you may use reasonable force to protect your land or tangible property from unlawful intrusion or theft under specific legal conditions.
  4. Fabrication or misidentification: Violent crime accusations can be based on mistaken identity, unreliable eyewitness accounts, or fabrications. We can cast doubt on eyewitness statements, and we strive to expose the truth about false accusations.
  5. Rights violations: If the police conducted an unlawful search, seized evidence without a valid warrant, or questioned you without issuing a Miranda warning, we can move to suppress any evidence seized. Without that evidence, charges are sometimes reduced or dropped.

The Legal Process in Tarrant County Courts

The decisions you make early in the criminal justice process will play a significant role in determining the outcome of your case. A criminal case in Tarrant County takes place in several stages:

  1. Arrest and arraignment: Following an arrest, law enforcement officers book you and take you before a magistrate, who formally reads the charges and sets the bail conditions.
  2. Grand jury review: Under Texas law, prosecuting a felony requires a grand jury indictment. A prosecutor asks a grand jury to determine if probable cause exists to take the case to trial.
  3. Pre-trial discovery and motions: During discovery, we can review evidence shared by the state and file motions to suppress evidence or dismiss charges.
  4. Plea negotiations or trial: Some cases are resolved through plea deals, but if you’re innocent of a violent crime or the state refuses to treat you fairly, we can take your case before a jury.

Choose Barrett Legal PLLC to Defend Your Freedom

When your freedom is on the line, you need an aggressive criminal defense attorney who makes your case the top priority. Barrett Legal PLLC proudly represents clients across the state, with offices in Southlake, Abilene, Corpus Christi, Beeville, Victoria, and Perryton. Our Texas criminal defense attorneys bring diverse, extensive legal experience to every case and client.

If you are prosecuted for a violent crime you did not commit, you must contest the charge, but don’t act as your own criminal defense lawyer. Any mistake could mean jail or prison, even if you are innocent. Instead, call Barrett Legal PLLC.

Don’t let a violent crime accusation compromise your future. Barrett Legal PLLC can fight for your rights, your reputation, and your freedom. Call us at 817-512-7044 to learn more about your rights and schedule your first legal consultation.