Greenwich First-Degree Assault Lawyer
Under Connecticut law, first-degree assault is any time somebody causes serious physical injury to another person with the intent to actually cause serious physical injury, with an additional aggravating factor present. If an individual has been charged with an assault offense, they should seek the services of an experienced attorney. A Greenwich first-degree assault lawyer could devote the time and resources necessary to achieve a positive outcome for them.
Use of a Weapon During First-Degree Assault
As a Greenwich first-degree assault attorney could explain, there are different ways that a person could commit a first-degree assault offense, one of which is through the use of a deadly weapon, but it has to be that the intention is to cause serious physical injury and that a person causes serious physical injury to another person and there has to be an aggravating factor. The aggravating factor could be that the person uses a deadly weapon to carry out the assault, or that two or more people are involved in the assault.
Examples of First-Degree Assault Scenarios
An example of a scenario where assault has involved the use of a weapon would be when somebody uses a gun, for example, and they shoot another person and they do not kill them and they shoot them in the part of the body where they were not trying to kill the person but just to try to seriously hurt them.
If an individual shoots someone in the leg; that would be a first-degree assault because that person would be causing serious physical injury using a gun, which is a deadly weapon. Another way that it happens is when somebody uses a knife, a bat, a crowbar, or some sort of weapon that is not necessarily a conventional weapon but they are in the midst of a fight to really hurt somebody, they use a weapon that could cause death and they cause serious physical injury.
Penalties for First-Degree Assault
First-degree assault is a Class B Felony. It has a minimum sentence of five years and up to 20 years. They can have up to five years of probation and a fine of up to $15,000 and any combination of probation and fines.
Long-Term Consequences of Assault in the First-Degree
Assault in the first degree is a serious offense, in fact, it is a Class B felony. Felonies go all the way up to Class A, so it is the second most severe degree of felony. Felony convictions can seriously affect a person’s future and employment, it can affect their voting rights, and it can affect their ability to gain licensure for different state licenses like a law license, medical license, and other types of licenses. That is why it is important to work with a Greenwich first-degree assault attorney that could attempt to mitigate those consequences.
Potential Assault Defenses
A potential defense that a Greenwich first-degree assault attorney could use is contesting the element of serious physical injury. If the accused did not cause serious physical injury or an injury resulting in long-term issues, then it is not assault in the first degree.
The second thing to look at is the intention of the person involved. So, the intent for first-degree assault has to be that a person is trying to cause serious physical injury. If the person that is charged with a first degree was trying to accomplish something else and it just happened to result in serious physical injury, then again the accused could have the degree of the assault reduced, which reduces the severity of the penalties.
Self-Defense
The most common defense would self-defense and that is basically saying that the reason why they inflicted a serious bodily injury on another person was that they feared that the other person was going to harm them in some serious way.
Contact a Greenwich First-Degree Assault Attorney
First-degree assault is one of the more serious levels of charges a person can possibly have and the second most serious degree of a crime when discussing Class B Felonies. The fact that somebody charged with first-degree assault is facing up to 20 years in prison and the mandatory minimum of five years means that there is going to be a lot at stake. That is why it is important to work with a Greenwich first-degree assault lawyer. A skilled attorney that has experience, could ensure that the case is adequately investigated and thoroughly defended. Individuals facing charges for assault in the first degree should speak with our team today, and rest assured that they are in good hands.