Attempted Murder Defense
Learn the Best Defenses for Attempted Murder Charges Under California Penal Code 664/187 in the Downtown Los Angeles Court.
Compared to all 38 courts, the downtown Los Angeles courthouse at 210 West Temple files the most attempted murder cases. There are a lot of drive-by shootings that result in attempted murder charges.
There's also a lot of gang activity that translates into an attempted murder charge. The hardcore gang unit in downtown Los Angeles is based out of the downtown LA courthouse, so it's not surprising that they prosecute a lot of attempted murder cases.
So, if you or a loved one is charged with attempted murder, you want to get a criminal defense attorney who has experience with 210 West Temple, the downtown LA court. The case will start in Department 30, which is the arraignment court.
Fighting PC 664/187 Attempted Murder Charges
It usually will stay in there until it gets assigned out to one of the preliminary hearing courts because a lot of times, an attempted murder case is going to take a long time to put the evidence on, so they usually want to send it to a long cause court. Hence, they keep it in Department 30 until the case is ready.
When we talk about the defense of these types of crimes, to me, the defense of an attempted murder case in the downtown LA court has really two aspects to it:
Aspect number one: The person says they're innocent. They didn't do whatever they were being accused of, or they were defending themselves, whatever the defense.
Not all defenses are the same. We will need to see the facts and circumstances of the case.
The second aspect I see in these cases is that the prosecutors have the evidence against the person, and that person needs to work out a resolution.
Whether they are going to have to plead to attempted murder, maybe not the attempted murder that carries 15 to life, but perhaps another attempted murder or a different charge other than attempted murder.
Avoiding Severe Penalties in Attempted Murder Cases
This is because you're trying to avoid that 15-to-life sentence. After all, there's a chance the person can never get out if they get 15 to life.
Also, if it's a gang-related attempted murder charge, then there's usually a 10-year gang enhancement, so now you're looking at 25 to life. If the person is the shooter and they hit somebody, that's an additional 25-year enhancement.
So, you can start to see the time adds up in these attempted murder cases. What the prosecutors have to prove is that whatever the person is accused of doing, they were trying to kill the other party.
So, if it's a situation where somebody shot at somebody under the right circumstances, that person is going to be charged with attempted murder.
This is because when shooting at another person, the prosecutor has a pretty strong argument that you were trying to kill them. After all, the bullet could have hit them, and just the lethal nature of firing a weapon at somebody.
If, on the other hand, it's a fight, punches are thrown, maybe a knife is pulled out, that might be a little more difficult for them to prove attempted murder. It sounds more like an assault with a deadly weapon case.
So, a lot of these crimes, like attempted murder, other charges can be filed against the person. What they do is just pick the most severe charges, such as attempted murder.
If the person didn't die, and it looked like the other party was trying to kill them, even though they could charge battery, serious bodily injury, or assault with a deadly weapon.
There are a whole host of different charges, but they're just going to go right for the attempted murder if they feel you were trying to kill them because that's what packs the most punch. That's what brings the most severe sentence.
Call the Hedding Law Firm If Charged with Attempted Murder
So, if you or a loved one is charged with attempted murder in the downtown Los Angeles court and you need help, you've come to the right place.
Pick up the phone. Ask to speak to Ron Hedding. I stand ready to help you. I've handled hundreds of these cases.
I know how to deal with the judges and prosecutors. I know how to defend the case. I know how to do damage control if that's necessary. Pick up the phone now and make the call.
Hedding Law Firm is a criminal defense law firm located in the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles County, at 16000 Ventura Blvd #1208 Encino, CA 91436—call (213) 542-0979 for a free case evaluation.
