Florissant Violent Crimes Lawyer

Missouri defines most violent offenses in Chapter 565, with robbery in Chapter 570.

Homicide Charges in Missouri: Murder and Manslaughter

Missouri recognizes several levels of homicide. First-degree murder (§565.020) requires deliberation and carries only life without parole or the death penalty. Second-degree murder (§565.021) covers a knowing killing, and it also reaches a death caused during another felony, the felony murder rule, under which everyone who took part in the underlying felony can face a murder charge even without intending anyone to die. Voluntary manslaughter (§565.023) applies to a killing under sudden passion arising from adequate provocation, and involuntary manslaughter (§565.024) covers reckless killings, including many vehicular deaths. The line between these charges turns on intent and state of mind, which is exactly where a defense can change the outcome, and homicide cases lean heavily on forensic evidence and, in many instances, on a claim of self-defense.

Robbery and Kidnapping Charges in Missouri

Robbery is the forcible stealing of property from a person. First-degree robbery (§570.023), which involves serious injury or a weapon, is a Class A dangerous felony, while second-degree robbery (§570.025) is a Class B felony. Kidnapping (§565.110) and related offenses like unlawful imprisonment turn on movement and confinement, and they frequently accompany other charges, which is one reason a single incident can generate a stack of counts. We also defend harassment, terroristic threat, and drive-by shooting allegations, separating what the evidence actually supports from what has simply been piled on.

Assault as a Violent Crime

Assault is the most common violent charge, and it ranges from a misdemeanor to a Class A felony depending on the injury and the intent, with aggravated assault at the most serious end. Because assault has its own degrees and defenses, we cover it in depth on our Florissant assault lawyer page. Like other violent crimes, a serious assault can be charged as a dangerous felony and can bring an Armed Criminal Action count when a weapon is involved.

Missouri’s 85% Rule for Dangerous Felonies

Violent crimes carry Missouri’s steepest penalties, and a category called dangerous felonies makes them steeper still. A person convicted of a dangerous felony, which includes first-degree murder, second-degree murder, first-degree robbery, first-degree assault, and first-degree kidnapping, must serve at least 85 percent of the sentence before becoming eligible for parole (§558.019). First-degree murder stands apart, punishable only by life without parole or death. A prior record can raise the exposure further still, and repeat-offender laws can lengthen a sentence. Because these numbers run so high, the difference between one degree and a lower one, or between a charge and a conviction, can mean decades of a person’s life.

What a Violent Crime Conviction Costs

A violent crime conviction reaches well past the sentence itself. Many of these offenses are dangerous felonies, so a person serves at least 85 percent of the term before parole is even possible, and the felony record that remains removes the right to possess a firearm and can close off jobs, housing, and professional licenses for life. A conviction involving a weapon or serious injury can also carry immigration consequences for non-citizens. Because the stakes are measured in decades, and in rights that do not come back easily, we treat keeping a charge from becoming a conviction, or reducing it before trial, as the heart of the work.

Armed Criminal Action and Weapon Enhancements

Many violent crime cases carry a second charge that is easy to overlook and costly to ignore. Armed Criminal Action (§571.015) applies whenever a felony is committed with a deadly weapon, and its sentence runs consecutively to the underlying charge, adding at least three years on a first offense. A single incident can produce two convictions stacked one on top of the other, turning a manageable sentence into a much longer one. We look closely at whether a weapon was truly used and whether the underlying felony holds up, because defeating one charge can undo the other.

Self-Defense and Defenses to Violent Crime Charges

• Self-defense. Missouri law protects a person who uses reasonable force against an immediate threat (§563.031), and its castle doctrine and stand-your-ground provisions remove the duty to retreat in many situations.
• Who was the aggressor. In many confrontations, who started it and whether the response was reasonable are genuinely in dispute, and the state’s version is not the only one.
• Mistaken identity. Violent incidents are chaotic and witnesses are under stress, so where a case depends on an identification, that identification can be tested.
• The evidence and the account. Forensic findings, video, and witness statements do not always support the charge as filed, and the inconsistencies are often where a case turns.
• Intent and degree. Because intent separates the degrees of homicide and assault, showing the absence of the required mental state can reduce a charge or defeat it.

Why Early Defense Matters in a Violent Crime Case

Violent crime cases are often won or lost on evidence that fades fast. Surveillance and cell-phone video can be overwritten within days, witnesses who saw who started a confrontation are easier to reach early, and physical evidence at a scene, including proof that supports a claim of self-defense, does not last. The account a person gives to police in the first hours frequently becomes the centerpiece of the state’s case, which is why the safest early step is to say nothing without a lawyer present. The sooner we can begin preserving evidence and investigating, the stronger the defense we can build from it.

Why Choose Our Florissant Violent Crimes Attorneys

• Criminal defense and DWI are all we do, so we handle serious violent felonies constantly, not occasionally.
• Our founding attorney brings more than 25 years of experience in the St. Louis County courts.
• We prepare every case as if it is going to trial and obtain all discovery, especially video, on every case, because in a violent crime case a single camera angle or witness account can decide the result.
• We handle most cases on a flat fee, with flexible payment plans.

Whether a client was wrongly accused or acted to protect themselves, we work to protect their freedom and their future.

Flat-Fee Violent Crime Defense in Florissant

We handle most violent crime cases on a flat fee set at the start, so the cost is clear from the beginning, with flexible payment plans to keep a real defense within reach. When the state will not offer a reasonable resolution, a defense built for trial from day one is what protects a client, and that is how we build every case. Our consultations are free and confidential, and we are available around the clock from our Sunset Hills office, in person, by video, or at the jail when needed. For the local courts and the full range of charges we handle, see our Florissant criminal defense lawyer page.

Free consultations are available 24/7. Call or text any time.

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References

• §565.020, RSMo [Murder in the first degree]
• §565.021, RSMo [Murder in the second degree; felony murder]
• §565.023, RSMo [Voluntary manslaughter]
• §565.024, RSMo [Involuntary manslaughter, first degree]
• §570.023, RSMo [Robbery in the first degree]
• §570.025, RSMo [Robbery in the second degree]
• §565.110, RSMo [Kidnapping in the first degree]
• §565.050, RSMo [Assault in the first degree]
• §571.015, RSMo [Armed Criminal Action]
• §558.019, RSMo [Dangerous felony, 85 percent minimum served]
• §563.031, RSMo [Use of force in defense of persons; castle doctrine and stand-your-ground]