Individuals who are charged with voluntary manslaughter in Connecticut may have a variety of defenses to that charge. For instance, it may be possible for a defendant to assert that he or she didn’t actually commit the crime in question. This may be done by questioning the evidence in the case or by claiming that he or she was somewhere else when the victim was killed.
A defendant may claim that he or she acted in self-defense when taking another person’s life. A self-defense claim can either be classified as perfect or imperfect. A perfect self-defense claim means that an individual thought that deadly force was justified to confront a threat. In a voluntary manslaughter case, only a perfect claim could result in an acquittal. Otherwise, an individual has essentially admitted to taking a person’s life without good enough cause to do so.
Voluntary manslaughter charges might be reduced or dismissed if a person’s death was not planned or was the result of involuntary intoxication. In the event that a death is deemed to be reckless as opposed to intentional, an individual will likely be charged with involuntary manslaughter. However, if a person was voluntarily under the influence of alcohol when he or she killed someone, the defendant will likely be convicted of intoxicated homicide.
Those who are charged with a violent crime may face a variety of consequences if convicted. In many cases, they could be sent to jail or prison for years or decades. An attorney may be able to help create a defense to a manslaughter, murder or other serious criminal charge. This might be done by claiming a defendant acted in self-defense or that he or she was in another location when the crime took place.
