Cardiff Violent Crime Defense Attorneys

Defending Clients Against Violent Crime Charges in Cardiff

Any crime that involves serious threat or bodily harm to another person or the use of a deadly weapon is considered a violent crime in California. This category of offenses is the most serious and carries the most severe criminal penalties. If you have been charged with a violent crime in Cardiff, you are likely facing jail or prison time in addition to other penalties. Your best course of action is to consult with an experienced Cardiff criminal defense attorney from jD Law Criminal Defense Attorneys at (760) 630-2000 as soon as possible.

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What Crimes Are Violent Crimes in California?

A long list of criminal offenses is included in the violent crimes category, as covered under the California Penal Code. Some violent crimes are misdemeanors, many are felonies, and some are wobblers, meaning they can be charged either as misdemeanors or felonies at the prosecutor’s discretion. Most carry jail or prison time. Common violent crimes in California and Cardiff include:

• Arson: Willfully and maliciously burning property, aiding someone else in burning property, or getting someone else to burn property is the crime of arson. It is not arson to burn your own property unless it is done with the intent to defraud or the fire injures another person or someone else’s property. When it results in great bodily injury, arson is a felony offense, punishable by up to nine years in state prison, a fine of up to $10,000, or both.
• Carjacking: Taking a vehicle from another person with the use of force or fear is carjacking. The use of force or fear means actually inflicting physical force or threatening to cause imminent physical harm. This crime is a felony, punishable by up to nine years in state prison. Carjacking is aggravated and carries additional prison time if a weapon is used.
• Domestic violence: Any form of abuse committed against an “intimate partner” is domestic violence. This includes intentional or reckless use of force or threatening to use force. Domestic violence crimes in California include corporal injury on a spouse or cohabitant and domestic battery, both of which carry a prison sentence of up to four years and/or a fine of up to $10,000.
• False imprisonment: This crime is defined as the unlawful violation of the personal liberty of another person. You can be convicted of false imprisonment if you unlawfully restrained, detained, or confined another individual, and in doing so, made that person stay or go somewhere against his or her will. This crime is a misdemeanor, punishable by a jail sentence of up to one year and a fine of up to $1,000. If violence, menace, fraud, or deceit was used to restrain the other person, it is felony false imprisonment, which carries up to three years in state prison and a fine of up to $10,000.
• Voluntary manslaughter: The crime of manslaughter is the unlawful killing of a human being without malice. Voluntary manslaughter occurs upon a sudden quarrel or in the heat of passion. This is a felony offense, punishable by three, six, or 11 years in state prison and a fine of up to $10,000. The crime may be aggravated with increased penalties for a prior conviction, gang allegations, or use of a weapon. Voluntary manslaughter may count as a strike under California’s three strikes law.

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Speak With a Cardiff Violent Crime Defense Lawyer

If you are facing violent crime charges, our Cardiff violent crime lawyer can protect your rights, find every flaw in the prosecution’s case against you, and raise every applicable legal defense. Contact jD Law Criminal Defense Attorneys at (760) 630-2000 to discuss defense strategies against allegations of violent crime.

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