Cleveland Murder Attorney

Ohio Murder Laws

Murder is the most serious offense a person can be charged with. For taking the life of another person, you could face years in jail and even the death penalty. If you or a loved one has been charged with murder, make sure they have a seasoned and aggressive Cleveland criminal defense lawyer to handle the case.

When so much is on the line, you need an experienced defense attorney standing beside you. At Henderson, Mokhtari & Weatherly, we can contest your murder charge on several grounds. The prosecution has a lot to prove—that you willfully caused someone to die. A defense attorney can argue that in fact you were not the one who committed the murder and you are entirely innocent of the crime.

Penalties for Murder in Ohio

The state of Ohio has strict penalties for murder. It considers any purposeful taking of another person's life or the unlawful termination of a pregnancy to be murder. Furthermore, causing the death of another while attempting to commit a violent crime that is a felony can also be considered murder. Murder carries a penalty of 15 years to life in prison and up to $15,000 in fines . Aggravated murder is even worse and can result in the death penalty.

It is considered aggravated murder when a person:

• Kills someone deliberately and with malice aforethought
• Kills someone while committing or fleeing a kidnapping, rape, aggravated arson, robbery, or burglary
• Intentionally kills a person under the age of 13
• Intentionally kills another person while in prison for another felony or while escaping prison
• Purposefully kills a police officer while engaged in official duties

Don't Wait to Protect Your Freedom

Common defenses include self-defense on your part or on behalf of another person, or that you lacked the intent to kill someone, in which case your crime could be argued down to a manslaughter charge. Regardless of the circumstances, you can count on our Cleveland attorneys to defend your future.

Trust Henderson, Mokhtari & Weatherly to work diligently on your defense. Our firm has over 75 years or experience defending clients charged with crimes and we can do our best to have your charges reduced or your case dropped.

Call our defense firm today if you have been charged with murder.