Building a defense when charged with a violent crime takes skill, experience and effective evaluation of the case against you. A first step for any person accused is protection of his or her rights during the arrest process. Then, since no violent crime case is the same, each individual circumstance warrants careful scrutiny of the ongoing investigation and evidence prosecutors will use in court.
A St. Louis man, 35, is currently facing charges he fatally stabbed a 31-year-old male during a heroin deal. According to court records, the victim and a friend were in the front seat of a car, while the accused was in the back. The defendant allegedly passed the drug to the victim in exchange for cash, but dropped the bag in the car. Unable to find it, police say the buyer accused the defendant of pocketing the drug. Agreeing to retrieve another bag for the man, he left the car. When he returned, the victim was standing outside. The accused claims the man struck him in the head. The accusation is he stabbed the victim in the chest in retaliation.
Records show the friend drove the wounded man to a firehouse for paramedics to help. He died later at a local hospital. He reported to police that the defendant is the killer. The defendant denies being there, and he identifies the friend as the murder.
Jailed without bail, the charges pending are second-degree murder and armed criminal action in a stabbing death. Conviction of any homicide charge means serious penalties. An analysis of past criminal history and evidence will help determine if trial should be avoided, or defeating the criminal charges is a possibility. It could be that sound negotiations with prosecutors are a better way to handle this case.
In fighting violent crime charges, defendants and counsel who work together, diligently exploring the evidence or lack thereof, will be in a better position to craft a solid defense strategy.
Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, “St. Louis man charged in deadly stabbing during heroin buy in Bevo Mill neighborhood” Joel Currier, Jun. 02, 2014
