A person facing a charge for voluntary manslaughter needs to think about their defense options as soon as possible. There are several that they need to consider, each of which can serve a different purpose. It is imperative to explore all options because you never know how they might work together to create a suitable strategy.
Many individuals who are in this position choose self-defense as the primary strategy, but this is only applicable if the evidence supports it. In order to exert this defense, you must have believed that your life or someone else’s life was in imminent danger.
One important note about this defense option is that you can’t leave the scene to go get your weapon and then come back. This takes away the imminent danger component since your life wasn’t in danger any longer once you left.
The prosecutor has the burden of proving that you committed a crime, so trying to stop them from doing this might be a good strategy. You can call points of their case into question so that there is “reasonable doubt” about what they are claiming.
Sometimes, the circumstances might support a claim that it was an accident. This is difficult to prove, and it might result in involuntary manslaughter being considered, so this is an option to consider very carefully if you think it might be beneficial.
Your defense strategy must be crafted carefully. It needs to be based on facts, and the evidence has to support it. Working closely with your defense attorney can help ensure that you have everything in order when you start to battle the charges.