Police Investigation Board And Crime Victim Information
When searching for a criminal defense attorney in Kansas City, one that aides in defense for felony charges such as, murder, search for Divine Law Office, LLC. Servicing the entire Kansas City metro area; counties of Jackson, Johnson, Wyandotte, Clay, and Platte, we handle several cases on a felony food chain. Let’s get into some of the charges that can be faced, and how we can help!
Here’s a short list of some of the charges you could get in the states of Missouri and Kansas starting with the highest – murder – but with any of these you’ll need an experienced attorney to back you up. Craig Divine is a criminal defense attorney in Kansas City aiding with charges such as:
- Murder: you can be charged with capital murder (death penalty is requested by state), first degree or second-degree murder. In Missouri first degree will come with a life sentence and no parole for 25 years. In Kansas they have a “Hard 50” rule; no parole until 50 years is served. Within this umbrella of murder also comes lesser charges of voluntary or involuntary manslaughter, but they are add-ons to a murder charge, not a replacement.
- Unlawful use of a Weapon: this covers a wide range; from firing a weapon while in a vehicle, all the way to simply displaying a weapon in a threatening manner. The charge and the consequences of it depend on the way it was used.
- Armed Criminal Action: also known as committing a dangerous felony while using a deadly weapon. The minimum you can be sentenced is 3 years, and a weapon can be anything used to cause serious harm or kill but must be used to complete another felony. Its rare to have a murder charge without an armed criminal action charge. The severity also depends on the crime assisted to begin with.
- Felon in Possession: if you have a felony charge – you cannot own or possess a firearm under state and federal laws. Even if your felony charge is nonviolent, you still cannot own a firearm. It’s important to understand your rights and the laws in both Kansas and Missouri as they do differ; these are good things to ask your criminal defense attorney in Kansas City!
- Assault: there are 4 different degrees to this in Missouri; first being: a knowing attempt to kill or cause serious physical injury, fourth is recklessly causing injury or placing someone in fear of imminent physical injury. Kansas does not include assault as physical contact with another, instead its defined as ‘placing another in imminent apprehension of physical harm’. However, they do distinguish aggravated assault or using a deadly weapon.
- Battery: this is the only offense in Kansas where physical contact is almost always required. They do not differentiate between regular and aggravated battery but have a domestic battery charge (used when parties live together). Aggravated battery needs a weapon in Kansas. Battery is a tricky subject and would need at length discussions with your criminal defense attorney in Kansas City.
Craig M. Divine is a highly experienced criminal defense attorney in Kansas City, helping with a multitude of different cases and has even litigated in the Kansas Court of Appeals and the Kansas Supreme Court. Completing law school at the University of Missouri-Kansas City 2005-2009 with a Juris Doctor and Master of Business Administration (JD/MBA) and is also a member of the Missouri Bar Association, the Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association, and Phi Alpha Delta Legal Fraternity. Contact us today at (816) 474-2240 for a FREE consultation!