Murder/Homicide

Grand Rapids Murder & Homicide Attorneys

Building a Strategic Case to Protect Your Future

Being accused of committing any type of crime is a terrible experience, but there is nothing quite as horrendous as being charged with murder and homicide. Crimes that involve the death of a human being are regarded as the most heinous in the world, and as such are given the harshest forms of penalties. If you or a loved one are currently undergoing the fear and pressure of being charged by the law for killing someone, it is crucial to quickly get the reliable counsel of our murder/homicide lawyers in Grand Rapids.

Here at the Rodenhouse Law Group, our compassionate and devoted criminal defense team know just what is at stake for anyone who has been charged with these devastating crimes. You can count on us to treat these complex and delicate issues with extreme scrutiny, building an effective defense strategy to support you in court.

What are the Different Degrees of Murder in Michigan?

If you live in the State of Michigan, you might be charged with either murder of the first or the second degree. The distinction of murder to the first degree is that it was done purposefully, with the willful intention of killing someone. Many people assume that this only includes cold-blooded murder, where a carefully laid plan is executed after a long period of maliciously calculating another’s death. However, first-degree murder can often include other scenarios as well. For example, if you are charged with killing a police officer on duty, or with killing someone in the midst of another felony, you will automatically be accused of committing first-degree murder, even if it was accidental. A second-degree murder charge refers to any other form of killing someone, known as a homicide.

If you are suspected of knowingly hurting or injuring someone so seriously that it leads to their death, this counts as a second-degree felony. The convictions for both of these felonies often lead defendants to spend the rest of their lives in prison. Contact Rodenhouse Law Group right away if you are suspected for murder charges.

Self-Defense as a Strategy for Defeating Murder Charges

In many tragic cases, a situation that began as a merely quarrelsome event heightened into an aggressive scene that ended up horribly. However, despite the terrible outcome, it is important for the jury to know that the person left alive at the end is not necessarily the one at fault. In many cases, the accused was actually the one struggling not to be killed themselves.

In order to prove a case of self-defense, our experienced lawyers can work with you to demonstrate that you:

• Honestly believed the perpetrator might have killed, maimed, or sexually assaulted you
• Reasonably thought that this was the only option at the immediate time
• Only used the necessary and reasonable force to preserve your life

Aggressive Defense in Your Hour of Need

No matter whether you were acting in self-defense or the entire case is one of mistaken identity, you can rely on our murder/homicide attorneys in Grand Rapids to identify the most powerful defense to protect your rights and liberties.