Los Angeles Homicide and Violent Crimes Lawyer Sara Azari
Individuals who have been charged with violent crimes face harsh penalties; therefore, it is important for them to consult a skilled criminal defense attorney immediately – and before talking to the police – to ensure that their rights are upheld.
Violent crimes happen every day in Los Angeles, including domestic violence, assault and battery, kidnapping, and homicide. Criminal defense lawyer Sara Azari, representing clients from Beverly Hills and throughout California and the United States, makes sure that all clients receive the fair treatment and superior representation they deserve.
Types of Violent Crimes
Attorney Sara Azari has experience in defending clients in a variety of violent crime cases. The Law Office of Sara Azari routinely and successfully fights charges of:
Homicide
If you have been charged with a homicide, the police and prosecuting attorneys are certainly not on your side. Often, your only chance of obtaining reduced charges, a case dismissal, a lighter sentence, or an acquittal is to hire an outstanding criminal defense attorney.
While homicide might be broadly defined as the killing of one individual by another individual, it is not always necessarily an act of malice. For this reason, certain instances of homicide may not even be considered crimes. When the killing of another is committed in self-defense, in order to prevent a violent crime from occurring, or by accident, the charge of homicide can often be mitigated to manslaughter.
In almost every case, a person charged with homicide will be held in jail awaiting trial on “no bail” status, meaning that no amount of money will get him or her out of custody. Due to the high bail and no bail issues in homicide cases, Ms. Azari routinely represents clients who are incarcerated and who have limited access to communicating with counsel. She is mindful of the communication challenges that incarceration can present. She therefore makes every effort to meet with clients personally at the county jails as often as needed to adequately prepare the defense case.
The Law Office of Sara Azari also relies on its network of outstanding private investigators, many of whom have law enforcement backgrounds, to conduct an independent investigation and review of the evidence in preparation for trial.
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Voluntary / Involuntary Manslaughter
Falling within the broader category of homicide, manslaughter is a legal term for the killing of another human being without premeditation or deliberation. Manslaughter is generally considered less severe than murder, and the punishment is typically substantially less than the life prison term or death penalty that are possible for murder convictions.
Manslaughter is often divided into two categories that are differentiated and characterized by the perpetrator's state of mind:
- Voluntary manslaughter – Suspects charged with this type of homicide are generally found to have intended to cause the death of another, but their liability in the commission of the crime is lessened by their state of mind during the crime. In essence, the suspect – whether through provocation, lapse of judgment in the heat of passion, or another cause for diminished mental capacity – loses self-control and kills another person.
- Involuntary manslaughter – This type of homicide is sometimes called criminal negligence. Individuals charged with involuntary manslaughter had no intent to kill or cause serious injury, but the death or deaths that ensued were a result of their recklessness. A person who innocently pushes another person, causing the victim to fall to the ground, strike their head and die, likely would be charged, if at all, with involuntary manslaughter.
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Murder
Murder is a form of homicide that is described as an intentional killing of another person. In California, there are two degrees of murder recognized by the law:
- First Degree Murder – This type of murder is characterized as a premeditated act, meaning that the individual planned the killing of another with forethought to opportunity and method so as to increase the likelihood of success or to evade apprehension. A murder committed during the course of a serious felony (robbery and kidnapping are the two most common felonies during which a homicide occurs) can also qualify as first degree. First degree murder can lead to life in prison with the possibility of parole. However, a first degree murder with special circumstances (such as the murder of a police officer, judge, witness; multiple murders; or torture) can lead to the death penalty or life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.
- Second Degree Murder – This type of murder is characterized as an intentional killing committed without premeditation and deliberation.
Under federal law, all criminal defendants have the right to an attorney. However, those who want the aggressive representation it takes to achieve the most favorable possible resolutions of their cases will need to select an attorney with the skill and determination to make it happen. Attorney Sara Azari has the drive and outstanding trial experience needed to provide you with the best criminal defense possible.
Los Angeles-based homicide lawyer Sara Azari serves clients from Beverly Hills, West Hollywood, and other jurisdictions throughout the United States.
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Domestic Violence
Domestic violence is defined as the use of physical violence, the threat of violence, or harmful psychological or emotional tactics against another individual in a person’s family. Same-sex domestic partners, spouses, and unmarried boyfriends and girlfriends are protected parties by California domestic violence laws. For a violent offense to be considered domestic in nature, the threats or abuse must take place between the perpetrator and a person whom he or she:
- Is currently married to
- Was previously married to
- Is currently in a relationship and living with
- Has a child with, whether the couple is still together or not
- Is dating
- Has dated in the past
- Is the parent or legal guardian of
There are various types of domestic violence that can occur among people. Examples of these different types of forbidden activities include:
- Persistent unwanted phone calls
- Stalking
- Intimidation
- Threats
- Verbal abuse, including cruelty, criticism, swearing, mocking, taunting, and name-calling
- Financial abuse, including refusing to pay bills or buy necessities, withholding money, and not allowing the victim to obtain a job
- Social abuse, including isolating the victim, eavesdropping on private conversations, violating privacy rights, and displaying overt jealousy
- Physical assault, including hitting, pushing, slapping, kicking, shoving, biting, hair pulling, pinching, punching, and beating
- Sexual abuse, including unwanted touching, forced acts of a sexual nature, and criticism of sexual abilities
Domestic violence can be a misdemeanor or felony offense, depending on the nature of the crime and the presence or absence of physical injuries to the witness/victim. Generally, the prosecutor will review the circumstances and evidence in the case to determine the severity of the offense. Because instances of domestic violence often involve “he said, she said” evidence, complicated personal interactions, and unhealthy relationships, it is crucial that those charged with this offense secure competent legal representation in order to defend their rights and their access to justice. If you have been charged with a misdemeanor or felony domestic violence offense, contact Los Angeles domestic violence lawyer Sara Azari at her office near Beverly Hills.
Since the O.J. Simpson case and other high-profile domestic violence cases that have made headlines in recent years, courts in California and across the nation have adopted stiffer penalties and a zero-tolerance approach to domestic violence cases. For non-citizens of the United States, even a misdemeanor conviction for domestic violence may subject the defendant to deportation. A felony domestic violence charge counts as a “strike” (a serious or violent offense) which could mean even tougher sentencing for a person if he or she is later convicted in a subsequent case.
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Assault and Battery
Assault and battery charges may be misdemeanor or felony offenses, depending on the severity of the crime and resulting injuries, if any. But regardless of whether you are charged with a misdemeanor or a felony, assault and battery offenses are likely to stay on your record for your entire life. An assault and battery conviction can also make it difficult or outright impossible for you to work in professions that require a character of peacefulness or where public safety is at issue, including careers in law enforcement, nursing, health care, and other fields.
- Assault – In short, assault is the attempt to cause bodily injury to another individual. Unless it involves a law enforcement officer, assault is generally charged as a misdemeanor. However, aggravated assault involving the use of a deadly weapon may be charged as a felony.
- Battery – Battery is the actual contact and/or injury inflicted on another individual with the intent to cause bodily harm. It could be as hard as a punch or a slap, and it could be as light as a spit.
Many people do not realize that assault and battery are two separate and distinct charges. Assault characterizes the overt act that places another person in reasonable fear of imminent harmful contact, while battery is the actual act of touching or striking the body of another individual in a harmful or offensive manner.
It is important to contact a criminal defense attorney the moment you have been accused of these crimes to review the facts and circumstances of the incident and your arrest. There are a number of defenses including “self-defense” that Los Angeles-based assault and battery lawyer Sara Azari can use to obtain a victory in your case.
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Kidnapping and Child Abduction
Even the slightest movement of another person against their will can constitute kidnapping. In many cases, a suspect who uses actual force or the threat of violence against another person to move the victim during the commission of a robbery, burglary or other crime is also charged with the crime of kidnapping. A kidnapping charge can subject the accused to a life term in prison, or at a minimum, add years to a defendant’s jail term.
Sadly, children are abducted every day in the United States. In many cases, the child is taken without violence not by a total stranger, but rather by a parent, grandparent or other relative in the midst of a custody battle between divorced or separated parents. Kidnapping charges under these circumstances are treated very seriously by the courts, as the taking of the child often occurs in direct violation of court-imposed child-custody orders.
It is in the best interest of those charged with kidnapping, regardless of how the charges came about, to hire an attorney for legal representation. Los Angeles kidnapping lawyer Sara Azari can help clients sort through the legal issues involved in kidnapping cases in order to bring about a positive resolution.
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Contact Homicide and Violent Crime Lawyer Sara Azari
Los Angeles defense attorney Sara Azari can assist those charged with violent crimes, including assault and battery, kidnapping, domestic violence, and homicide, in obtaining dismissals, acquittals, reduced charges, or lighter sentences. Contact her West Hollywood office, centrally located just blocks away from Beverly Hills.
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