Murder Charges

New Jersey Homicide Criminal Defense Attorneys

Dealing with the process of defending yourself against serious accusations of a violent crime can be overwhelming, especially when those charges are murder or manslaughter. A conviction for either will surely result in a good portion of your life spent behind bars. Families can be destroyed, lives turned upside down. We know what happens in these cases because we have handled many murder and manslaughter charges over the past decades of defending criminals in New Jersey. If you are under investigation or recently charged with murder or manslaughter, it is important to take action as soon as possible to protect your rights.

Contact us 24 hours a day. Call (732) 842-7773, or you can contact us by e-mail to protect your rights. We can begin building your defense today and start the process toward restoring your freedom and your life, all it takes is your call.

Murder Charges in New Jersey Under NJSA § 2C:11-3. Murder

§ 2C:11-3. Murder

a. Except as provided in N.J.S.A. 2C:11-4, criminal homicide constitutes murder when:

(1) The actor purposely causes death or serious bodily injury resulting in death; or

(2) The actor knowingly causes death or serious bodily injury resulting in death; or

(3) It is committed when the actor, acting either alone or with one or more other persons, is engaged in the commission of, or an attempt to commit, or flight after committing or attempting to commit robbery, sexual assault, arson, burglary, kidnapping, carjacking, criminal escape or terrorism pursuant to section 2 of P.L.2002, c.26, and in the course of such crime or of immediate flight therefrom, any person causes the death of a person other than one of the participants; except that in any prosecution under this subsection, in which the defendant was not the only participant in the underlying crime, it is an affirmative defense that the defendant:

(a) Did not commit the homicidal act or in any way solicit, request, command, importune, cause or aid the commission thereof; and

(b) Was not armed with a deadly weapon, or any instrument, article or substance readily capable of causing death or serious physical injury and of a sort not ordinarily carried in public places by law-abiding persons; and

(c) Had no reasonable ground to believe that any other participant was armed with such a weapon, instrument, article or substance; and

(d) Had no reasonable ground to believe that any other participant intended to engage in conduct likely to result in death or serious physical injury.

b. (1) Murder is a crime of the first degree but a person convicted of murder shall be sentenced, except as provided in paragraphs (2), (3) and (4) of this subsection, by the court to a term of 30 years, during which the person shall not be eligible for parole, or be sentenced to a specific term of years which shall be between 30 years and life imprisonment of which the person shall serve 30 years before being eligible for parole.

(2) If the victim was a law enforcement officer and was murdered while performing his official duties or was murdered because of his status as a law enforcement officer, the person convicted of that murder shall be sentenced by the court to a term of life imprisonment, during which the person shall not be eligible for parole.

(3) A person convicted of murder shall be sentenced to a term of life imprisonment without eligibility for parole if the murder was committed under all of the following circumstances:

(a) The victim is less than 14 years old; and

(b) The act is committed in the course of the commission, whether alone or with one or more persons, of a violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:14-2 or N.J.S.A. 2C:14-3.

Explanation of the Statute and Potential Defenses

Murder requires purposefully or knowingly causing the death of another. New Jersey also employs the “Felony Murder” law. What this means is that if you are involved in the commission of a felony (say a burglary or carjacking for example) and someone dies while that felony is being committes, even if you did not intentionally kill that person and you were not involved in the killing yourself, you can be charged with murder under New Jersey law. Convicted murderers typically receive sentences ranging from 30 years in state prison (without the possibility of parole) to life in prison.

Every case is fact sensitive and every defense must be tailored individually to meet the needs of each client. that is the kind of individual attention you will receive at our firm, no matter the severity of your offense. Self-defense is a potential defense to murder or that the death was accidental and not intentional may be a defense to the charge.

Call Today to Start Getting the Help You Need in Properly Defending Your Charges!

By calling (732) 842-7773 today, you have taken the first step toward potentially gaining the freedom of your loved one. You can also contact us by e-mail for a free initial consultation