Can you use self-defense in your murder case?

Domestic disputes can quickly become heated, leading to physical altercations. In some of these instances, the physical aggression becomes so severe that serious injuries or death results. When this happens, you or your loved one could end up facing murder charges and the severe penalties associated with it. Given that these allegations can derail your or your loved one’s life, you need to carefully consider which criminal defense strategy is best and how to build it as strongly as possible.

Is self-defense an option for you or your loved one?

One of the best criminal defenses to allegations of domestic violence, assault, and murder is self-defense. If you can successfully raise this defense, then you might be able to beat the charges that have been levied against you. In order to successfully raise this defense, though, you have to prove a number of elements, including each of the following:

• You didn’t provoke the victim or instigate the incident that led to the victim’s death
• You believed that you were in imminent danger of being killed or suffering a serious injury
• A reasonable person would have held a similar belief
• There was no other way to avoid the threat of serious injury or death other than the use of force

It’s important to remember that once you or your loved one raises self-defense as a defense, the prosecution is tasked with disproving at least one of the elements mentioned above. Therefore, you’ll want to use as much evidence as you can to build up every element of your self-defense case.

Aggressively fight for your or your loved one’s future

Your future is on the line when facing serious criminal charges like murder. With so much on the line, you should do everything you can to protect yourself and build a strong criminal defense. This means knowing the law and how to use it as aggressively as possible to your advantage.