About Me

Don't Be In The Dark About Our Legal System

Hello, I'm Karla Mitchell. Going through a legal case can be very expensive and challenging. I won't go into details, but I recently underwent my own legal battle that lasted several years. It is finally over and I successfully received a settlement, but I had to spend so much time studying law in order to play my role in my own court case. While I found a great attorney at one point, I felt completely lost initially and I don't want anyone else to experience the same thing. So I decided to create this blog for those who would like to know more about law.

Search

Latest Posts

Don't Be In The Dark About Our Legal System

Defense Strategies & Remorse Techniques to Use When Charged with Vehicular Manslaughter

by Andrew Martin

If you are being charged with a crime known as vehicular manslaughter, it is likely because you made the mistake of driving drunk and ended up causing a collision that resulted in the death of an innocent person. Vehicular manslaughter due to driving under the influence is very serious and can result in prison time. If you are truly sorry for what you did, your remorse may help you in your case. Here are several things you should understand about how to properly defend yourself in the case and show remorse for this particular crime.

Defense Techniques

After being arrested and charged with vehicular manslaughter, you should immediately hire a criminal law attorney. These attorneys know how to represent individuals that are charged with DUI crimes, and a good attorney can help you by developing a good defense strategy to use in court. Here are some of the options your lawyer may consider using:

Facts that show the other party was doing something wrong—After an accident occurs, the police will investigate the scene and will talk to any eyewitnesses. If the police discover that the other driver was texting, driving under the influence, or failing to abide by traffic laws, your lawyer might try to get your crime reduced. Even though you were drinking and driving, the other party might also be at fault for the accident. This would not necessarily get you out of the crime, but it could help your case. To prove that the other party actually caused the accident to occur, your lawyer might suggest hiring an accident reconstruction expert.

Problems with the breathalyzer—In order for you to get charged with this crime, your alcohol blood content would have to have been greater than 0.08%. If the breathalyzer showed a percentage less than this, you would not be considered legally intoxicated. In addition, breathalyzers can be wrong, and attorneys often fight cases with this strategy.

Your lawyer's job is to look at the facts and evidence of the case so he or she can find a good defense strategy to use to help you.

Remorse Strategies

Most criminal cases are tried and decided by a team of jurors. Jurors often empathize with criminals, especially if they demonstrate a great amount of remorse during the case. Jurors and judges often perceive the character of an accused criminal as "more favorable" when the person shows remorse, and character can play a huge role in the outcome of a case. Remorse may not get you off the hook for the crime, but it can help you receive a lighter or reduced punishment for your crime. Here are some tips to help you with this:

It must be genuine—Jurors and judges can both tell the difference between a person who is truly remorseful and one that is simply acting this way. If you do not feel remorse for what has happened, trying to show that you are remorseful in court may be a waste of time.

Your body language says a lot—If you walk into the courtroom with an arrogant or overly confident attitude, it may show that you are not remorseful. Keep in mind that your body language can show how you really feel.

Prepare a letter to read—In most cases, criminals do not take the stand during their trials. Because of this, a person will have a hard time expressing remorse to the court, but there will be a chance for you to do this if you are convicted of the crime. After your conviction, you will have a sentencing hearing, and you will be free to say a few words before the judge offers your sentence. This is a good time to show remorse through the words you say.

Being charged with any type of crime is a serious event in life. If you need advice or would like to hire a lawyer for a crime you are being charged with, contact a law firm like Hurth Sisk & Blakemore LLP.

Share