Manslaughter Attorney in Lexington, South Carolina

How is manslaughter defined under the law?

Across the United States, manslaughter is generally defined as any act that results in the killing of another human being, but in a manner that is less culpable than murder. Since the main distinction between manslaughter and murder is the offender's state of mind at the time of the killing, the level of criminal culpability will ultimately be determined by the mitigating circumstances of the incident. You could be charged with manslaughter if, for example, you had caused someone else's death when you had only intended to inflict serious bodily harm or when you recklessly caused a motor vehicle accident.

Since the killing was not premeditated, your level of criminal culpability would not meet the standard of murder. The circumstances of the killing will also dictate whether the charges will be voluntary or involuntary manslaughter. According to S.C. Code §16-3-60, involuntary manslaughter is defined as unintentional killing of another person through the means of criminal negligence and/or during the commission of felony. According to S.C. Code §16-3-50, voluntary manslaughter involves the act of killing with malice aforethought and/or under the circumstances of provocation.

Penalties for Voluntary & Involuntary Manslaughter in South Carolina

In the state of South Carolina, a manslaughter conviction carries serious legal penalties. For this reason, it is highly recommended that you enlist the help of a Lexington criminal lawyer from the Law Office of James R. Snell, Jr., LLC if you have been charged with this crime. You could be facing a minimum of five years behind bars, so we encourage you to put your case in the hands of our firm.

If you hope to avoid time in state prison, you are advised to enlist the help of a qualified legal professional as soon as you have been arrested and charged with a crime. You will need ample time to build a solid defense—especially since these charges are violent in nature—so you should waste no time in contacting an attorney at our firm. In doing so, you will allow us enough time to thoroughly investigate the evidence involved in your case and implement a smart legal strategy on your behalf.

Contact a Lexington Criminal Lawyer at Our Firm Immediately

When facing charges for manslaughter in South Carolina, you don't have any time to waste. The prosecution will move quickly to build a case against you, so it is important that you protect yourself by enlisting the help of an aggressive lawyer. When you contact a Lexington criminal attorney at the Law Office of James R. Snell, Jr., LLC after an arrest, you can ensure that we will be looking after your best interests throughout the entire process—and in the face of a criminal conviction, you will want our criminal defense firm in your corner. For this reason, we ask you to give us a call immediately.

Your initial consultation is free when you call our office, so you should not hesitate to take the first step today. You can even contact us online, if you would prefer, by filling out and submitting a free case evaluation form directly from our website. After that, you can expect to hear back from us in a timely manner. Either way you decide to get in touch, however, we just encourage you not to wait too long.