Murder Charges in Chicago: How You Can Help a Loved One Charged With Homicide

If someone you care about is facing a murder charge in Chicago, Skokie or Rolling Meadows, you can help by getting in touch with a homicide defense lawyerimmediately.

Why Your Loved One Needs an Attorney

While public defenders do the best they can, they may not be the best choice for someone facing a homicide charge – and that’s because they’re already overloaded with cases (so much so, in fact, that they often only have a few moments to spend with a defendant before appearing in court; there’s no time to put together an effective defense strategy, in many cases).

What Happens if Your Loved One is Convicted of Murder?

Murder is a very serious felony in Illinois, and although our state no longer has the death penalty, your loved one could spend the rest of his or her life in prison if convicted of first-degree murder. Second-degree murder is a Class 1 felony, and your loved one could spend between 4 and 20 years in prison if convicted.

Are There Defenses to Murder Charges?

Your loved one’s lawyer will put together a strategic defense or attempt to negotiate with the prosecutor for a lesser charge, such as second-degree murder or manslaughter.

Some defenses can include:

• Lack of intent. Your loved one didn’t intend to take the other person’s life.
• Lack of knowledge. Your loved one didn’t know he or she could take the other person’s life.
• Insanity. Your loved one was not in his or her right mind when the incident occurred.
• Intoxication. Your loved one was under the influence of drugs or alcohol that impaired his or her judgment and made him or her unaware of what was happening.
• Self-defense. Your loved one was only defending him- or herself from someone else when the incident occurred.

Do You Need to Talk to a Chicago Murder Defense Attorney?

You can call a Chicago homicide defense lawyer on your loved one’s behalf, and we may be able to help.

Call us at 847-920-4540 right away for a free homicide case review. We can make an appointment to see your loved one in jail and begin developing an effective defense strategy as soon as we understand the situation.