Responding to increases in violent crime, the California Legislature has generally increased the severity of penalties for violent crime, crimes resulting in serious injury, and those involving firearms. Bay Area criminal defense attorney Michael Coffino regularly defends people accused of violent crimes.
If you have been charged with a crime of violence you need a criminal defense attorney with a proven record of defending these cases. Violent crimes can range from criminal threats to robbery and murder. California Law defines all “violent felonies” as “strikes” under the Three Strikes Law and a conviction carries significant consequences.
There are many possible defenses to crimes of violence, including self-defense. The police will often be in haste to solve sensational crimes and may fail to do a sober and careful investigation. Prosecutors’ offices may file charges that are excessive under the circumstances, or mistakenly charge an innocent person because they don’t know the whole story.
Traumatized witnesses may be lying or simply mistaken about the identity of the perpetrator. Often the investigating agency has no time to question all witnesses with relevant information. A thorough and careful defense investigation can often locate exculpatory evidence that proves innocence, or casts doubt on the version of events promoted by accusers, the police and the prosecution.
Michael Coffino regularly challenges the admissibility of evidence based on violations of his clients’ rights under the 4th, 5th and 6th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution. His office has the knowledge and experience to make sure that unreliable or illegally obtained evidence is not considered by the court or jury.
Assault with a deadly weapon, battery, robbery, battery on a peace officer, and battery causing serious bodily injury are commonly charged crimes of violence. Self-defense is a complete defense to any assaultive crime. If the victim has a history of violence or threats of violence to you or others, you have the right to act more quickly in anticipation of coming violence. We thoroughly investigate the history of the alleged victim in these cases to uncover past acts that may be relevant to your defense.
Michael Coffino has successfully defended clients in murder, weapon assault and battery cases based on a self-defense theory.
Below is a list of violent crimes:
If you have been charged with a violent crime in Marin County, Contra Costa County or anywhere in the San Francisco Bay Area, you should immediately seek the services of a criminal defense attorney with extensive experience handling defense of violent crimes prosecutions. Michael Coffino understands how serious these offenses can be, how best to defend you, and may be able to help you avoid jail time at all. Mr. Coffino has extensive knowledge of the law and the legal system and enjoys an outstanding reputation among judges, defense attorneys and prosecutors.
For more information about how to best handle a violent crime case, and to schedule a free consultation, contact the Law Office of Michael A. Coffino at (415) 786-9703.