Birmingham Manslaughter Lawyer

Manslaughter is a criminal charge in Alabama related to causing the death of another person.  Manslaughter is not as serious a charge as Murder or Capital Murder, but it carries severe penalties.  Therefore if you are charged with manslaughter in Alabama, an experienced manslaughter lawyer is necessary. The difference between manslaughter and murder usually revolves around the intent of the defendant.  Murder implies that the defendant intended to cause the death of another person, while manslaughter implies that the defendant caused the death of another person while acting recklessly and not on purpose. Manslaughter can often actually be used as a defense to a murder charge.  In fact, the statute governing manslaughter (13A-6-3) states that a murder can be reduced to manslaughter if the death was caused due to a sudden heat of passion.  This is often called the “heat of passion defense.”  They typical case is when a husband returns home to find his wife in bed with another man and kills one or both of them.  While he did so intentionally, he could argue he is only guilty of manslaughter because he only committed the crime due to the heat of passion of the circumstances. Manslaughter is a Class B felony, punishable by 2 to 20 years in prison, although a 10-year minimum may apply if the State seeks to apply the deadly weapon enhancement in the event a deadly weapon was used to cause the death. If you or a loved one has been charged with manslaughter in Birmingham, or anywhere in Alabama, Contact the experienced manslaughter lawyer at Boles Holmes White LLC to protect you. Call at 205-502-2000.