Sacramento Homicide Attorney

California homicide cases often carry a very large exposure to prison time, up to and including life in prison without the possibility of parole. If you or a loved one is being investigated, has been arrested, or is otherwise facing a criminal homicide case, it is imperative that you hire a skilled criminal defense attorney as soon as possible. Nagra Law Firm P.C. is based in the Sacramento area and has the skills necessary to fight even the toughest California criminal cases, including homicides. Call Nagra Law Firm P.C. at (916)-913-1378 to secure a rigorous criminal defense lawyer in your corner.

Nagra Law Firm P.C. is available all hours of the day and night, because we understand how important your case is to you and your family. We handle every case with extreme care and attention. No matter how hopeless your situation may feel, we will never give up. We truly believe in the rights of the accused, most importantly, the right to be presumed innocent. We believe in our constitutional duty to zealously represent each of our clients. Call Nagra Law Firm P.C. today to discuss your case for free, at (916)-913-1378.

First Degree Murder

Second Degree Murder

Attempted Murder

Manslaughter

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First Degree Murder

Under California Penal Code Section 189, murder of the first degree is defined as all murder that is “perpetrated by means of a destructive device or explosive, a weapon of mass destruction, knowing use of ammunition designed primarily to penetrate metal or armor, poison, lying in wait, torture, or by any other kind of willful, deliberate, and premeditated killing, or that is committed in the perpetration of, or attempt to perpetrate, arson, rape, carjacking, robbery, burglary, mayhem, kidnapping, train wrecking, or any act punishable under Section 206, 286, 287, 288, or 289, or former Section 288a, or murder that is perpetrated by means of discharging a firearm from a motor vehicle, intentionally at another person outside of the vehicle with the intent to inflict death.”
Prosecutors in California are still able to seek and obtain the death penalty in first degree murder cases. (Penal Code Section 190). However, there is currently a moratorium on executions, and nobody in California has been executed by the state since 2006.
Life in prison without the possibility of parole (“LWOP”) is another possible sentence in first degree murder cases in California. If somebody is given a sentence of LWOP, this means that they will not receive any parole hearings and will effectively never get out of prison, absent an extraordinary circumstance such as a change in the law, a successful appeal, or a successful writ of habeas corpus.

Another possible sentence, or punishment, for first degree murder is 25 years to life, also referred to as “life with the possibility of parole.” If given a sentence of 25 to life, a person must serve a minimum of 25 years, and thereafter would have the opportunity to present their case to the Board of Parole Hearings as to why they believe they deserve to be released. The Board of Parole Hearings hears the case and makes a decision to either keep the person in prison, or release them on parole. If the Board decides to keep a person in prison, the person may have another opportunity down the road to re-present their case to the Board.

If you or a loved one is facing a Sacramento homicide case, call Nagra Law Firm P.C. today at (916)-913-1378 to secure a skilled criminal defense attorney.

Second Degree Murder

Under California Penal Code 189(b), all murders that do not meet the definition of first degree murder, described above, are considered to be second degree murder. This includes unlawful killings that do not meet the standard of “willful, deliberate, and premeditated,” which is the standard used in most first degree murder cases.
The lowest prison sentence that somebody convicted of second degree murder in California can receive is 15 years to life. This would mean that at least 15 years must be served before a parole hearing can be had, and the maximum that the person could end up doing in prison is their whole life, if they are never granted parole.
If the victim of the second degree murder was a peace officer and certain facts are proven, then the person convicted may face up to life in prison without the possibility of parole, meaning there would be no chance for a parole hearing. A person found guilty of second degree murder may also be punished by imprisonment in state prison for 20 years to life if the killing was done by shooting a gun from a motor vehicle intentionally at another person outside the vehicle with the intent to inflict great bodily injury.

Attempted Murder

Attempted murder is defined in California as occurring when a person intends to kill a victim and takes a direct step toward killing the victim, but the victim does not die.
Attempted first degree murder is punishable by life in state prison with the possibility of parole. The sentence for a person found guilty of attempted second degree murder ranges from 5, 7, or 9 years in state prison.

If you or a loved one has been arrested for attempted murder, call Sacramento based Nagra Law Firm P.C. at (916)-913-1378 to secure a strong criminal defense attorney on your side.

Manslaughter

Manslaughter is defined under California Penal Code Section 192 as the unlawful killing of a human being without malice, as opposed to murder, which is an unlawful killing with malice. The most common types of manslaughter prosecuted in California are:

(a) Voluntary Manslaughter—Upon a sudden quarrel or heat of passion.
(b) Involuntary Manslaughter—In the commission of an unlawful act, not amounting to a felony; or in the commission of a lawful act which might produce death, in an unlawful manner, or without due caution and circumspection. This subdivision does not apply to acts committed in the driving of a vehicle.
(c) Vehicular Manslaughter—
       (1) Except as provided in Section 191.5 [vehicular and gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated], driving a vehicle in the commission of an unlawful act, not amounting to a felony, and with gross negligence; or driving a vehicle in the commission of a lawful act which might produce death, in an unlawful manner, and with gross negligence.
      (2) Driving a vehicle in the commission of an unlawful act, not amounting to a felony, but without gross negligence; or driving a vehicle in the commission of a lawful act which might produce death, in an unlawful manner, but without gross negligence.

Manslaughter is punishable as follows, under California Penal Code Section 193:

(a) Voluntary manslaughter is punishable by imprisonment in the state prison for 3, 6, or 11 years.
(b) Involuntary manslaughter is punishable by [local imprisonment] for two, three, or four years.
(c) Vehicular manslaughter is punishable as follows:
(1) A violation of paragraph (1) of subdivision (c) of Section 192 is punishable either by imprisonment in the county jail for not more than one year or by imprisonment in the state prison for two, four, or six years.
(2) A violation of paragraph (2) of subdivision (c) of Section 192 is punishable by imprisonment in the county jail for not more than one year.

California also has tough punishments for manslaughter committed during the operation of a vessel, under Penal Code Section 193.5.

If you or a loved one is facing a Sacramento homicide case, call Nagra Law Firm P.C. today at (916)-913-1378 to secure a skilled criminal defense attorney.

Call Nagra Law Firm P.C. today at (916)-913-1378 to talk to our Sacramento criminal defense attorney for free.

If you decide to retain Nagra Law Firm P.C. on you or your loved one’s Sacramento homicide case, we will immediately go to work for you by investigating every possible angle of your case and preparing your case for jury trial from day one. We believe that is how every criminal case should be prepared, because going to jury trial is often the only way to secure justice.
We will investigate possible defenses to your case, such as:
  • Self-Defense or Defense of Others (both “perfect” and “imperfect”)
  • Insanity
  • Accident
  • Coerced confession
  • Mistaken Identity
  • Factual Impossibility
  • Illegally obtained evidence

Call Nagra Law Firm P.C. today at (916)-913-1378 to discuss your case for free with our Sacramento homicide defense lawyer.

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