Attempted Murder

The crime of attempted murder pursuant to Penal Code section 664/187 is one of the most serious charges you can face. This crime may carry with it a 15-year to life prison sentence and is a strike offense pursuant to the Three Strikes Law. Many times, an assault case is overcharged by law enforcement, and defendants are facing unjustified attempt murder charges. This happens when, for example, a person is in a fight and great bodily injury is inflicted. Although the person may have suffered serious, life-threatening injuries as a result of the assault, there may be insufficient evidence to convict the aggressor of attempted murder if the intent to kill element is not established beyond a reasonable doubt. The District Attorney’s Office, however, overcharges these cases routinely, and people often face attempt murder charges without sufficient evidence to establish that intent.

Therefore, it is crucial to have an attorney experienced in attempted murder cases handle your defense if you are charged with this crime. Our offices are able to dissect the prosecution’s case and establish that the elements of the crime of attempted murder have not been satisfied. In these cases, the District Attorney’s Office is either forced to dismiss the case or reduce the charges to a lesser offense, such as assault with a deadly weapon or by means of force likely to produce great bodily injury. These crimes carry with them much shorter sentences that are determinate or fixed in length, and in some instances, may not even be strike offenses under the California Three Strikes Law.

If you are convicted of attempted murder, you will not only have a strike offense on your record, you will also suffer an indeterminate life sentence. This means that you will be sent to prison to serve a sentence of potentially 15 years to life, and will have to serve a specific portion of that sentence before you are ever even considered for parole. Even if you are considered for parole, it may not be granted and you may have to wait years before you come up for a parole review again. Moreover, as with any indeterminate sentence, parole may never be granted in your case, and you may spend the rest of your life in prison for that one charge! Any time you are facing an indeterminate life sentence, the risk that you will spend the rest of your life is prison is very high, given the unstable, dangerous conditions of life as a prison inmate.

Contact a Temecula criminal defense attorney if you are charged with attempted murder. Our attorneys are experienced in attempt murder cases, and have had tremendous success in getting these cases reduced to less serious charges, and avoiding indeterminate life sentences and even strike convictions.

Call an experienced Temecula criminal defense attorney skilled in attempted murder defense at The Law Offices of Parwana Anwar, PLC. You have the right to fight your charges, but you need the right Temecula criminal lawyer to help you beat your case.