Murder Charge Lawyers
We fight to get your charges reduced, dismissed, or won at trial because your freedom, your future, and even your life are on the line. At Mamat Law, our experienced Michigan criminal defense attorneys provide dedicated, strategic, and aggressive representation for all homicide charges, guiding you through every stage of the legal process with skill and commitment.
Practice Areas
Michigan Murder Charges Defense Lawyers
Facing a murder charge in Michigan is the most serious legal crisis you can experience. A conviction can mean life in prison without parole, decades behind bars, and a permanent stain on your name that never fades. Prosecutors across the state dedicate their most seasoned teams to these cases and you need equally determined, experienced defense lawyers on your side to fight for your life, freedom, and future.
At Mamat Law, we provide aggressive, strategic, and highly personalized defense for clients charged with all forms of homicide throughout Michigan. We know how to scrutinize every piece of evidence, challenge unconstitutional police conduct, and dismantle the prosecution’s case. Whether you are charged in Detroit, Grand Rapids, Lansing, Flint, Ann Arbor, Kalamazoo, or any Michigan county, our experienced criminal defense attorneys are prepared to stand by you at every stage.
Understanding Homicide Charges In Michigan
Homicide in Michigan includes multiple levels of offenses from first-degree murder with mandatory life sentences to involuntary manslaughter for unintentional deaths. The stakes in any homicide case are enormous. Prosecutors push for harsh sentences, and the social stigma alone can ruin careers and families.
If you are charged with any form of murder or manslaughter in Michigan, you need to understand the legal categories, penalties, and what prosecutors must prove to convict you.
First-Degree Murder Defense Attorneys
First-degree murder is the most severe criminal charge in Michigan, carrying a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. This charge is reserved for killings that the prosecution claims were deliberate, planned, or committed during other extremely serious felonies.
What Constitutes First-Degree Murder in Michigan?
Michigan law breaks down first-degree murder into three main categories:
Premeditated Murder:
This requires prosecutors to prove you killed someone willfully, deliberately, and with premeditation—even if the planning lasted only seconds. Premeditation doesn’t require a drawn-out plot. It could involve quickly forming an intent to kill before acting, which means prosecutors often argue about your mental state, conversations before the act, or actions that suggest planning (like obtaining a weapon).
Felony Murder Rule:
Under this rule, even if you did not intend to kill, you can be charged with first-degree murder if someone dies during the commission or attempted commission of certain felonies. Examples include:
- Robbery or burglary
- Arson
- Sexual assault
- Kidnapping
- Carjacking
If your co-defendant kills someone during the felony you can also face first-degree murder charges. Prosecutors use this rule to hold every participant in the felony responsible for a death that occurs.
Killing of a Peace Officer or Corrections Officer:
Michigan imposes the highest penalties if you knowingly kill a law enforcement officer or corrections officer performing their duties. Even if the killing was unplanned or happened in a confrontation, you can still face first-degree charges if you knew their status.
Penalties for First-Degree Murder in Michigan
- Mandatory life without parole. Judges have no discretion to reduce this penalty.
- No eligibility for parole or early release.
- Even minors tried as adults can face life sentences, though special rules apply.
A first-degree murder conviction ensures you will spend the rest of your life in prison.
The Stakes of a First-Degree Murder Case
First-degree murder cases are aggressively prosecuted in Michigan’s Circuit Courts, from Wayne and Oakland Counties to Kent, Genesee, Ingham, and beyond. Police and prosecutors assign specialized homicide units and senior prosecutors to these cases. They often invest heavily in forensic testing, expert witnesses, and long investigations.
The social and personal consequences are devastating:
- Permanent separation from your family.
- Loss of civil rights forever.
- The stigma of a murder conviction, even if you maintain innocence.
How Mamat Law Defends First-Degree Murder Cases
At Mamat Law, our approach is comprehensive and unrelenting. We know the system’s complexity and how high the stakes are. Our defense strategies often include:
- Attacking Premeditation: We analyze the timeline, your statements, and actions to show lack of planning or deliberate intent. Premeditation is often inferred from circumstantial evidence that can be challenged.
- Challenging Felony Murder Theory: We dispute whether the underlying felony applies, whether you even participated, or whether the death was truly connected.
- Cross-Examining Witnesses: We expose inconsistencies, biases, and motives for false testimony.
- Forensic Review: We engage our own experts to challenge ballistics, DNA, fingerprint analysis, or questionable crime scene work.
- Constitutional Motions: We work to suppress illegally obtained evidence or confessions taken in violation of your rights.
- Negotiation for Charge Reductions: We push to amend charges to second-degree murder or manslaughter when possible, avoiding life without parole.
- Presenting Defenses at Trial: Self-defense, mistaken identity, lack of intent, duress, and alibi are all strategies we tailor to your case.
If you’re facing first-degree murder charges, your entire life is on the line. We bring experience, strategy, and tireless advocacy to defend you.
Second-Degree Murder Defense Attorneys
Second-degree murder is also a very serious felony in Michigan, punishable by life in prison or any term of years. Unlike first-degree murder, second-degree murder doesn’t require premeditation, but it does require prosecutors to prove malice.
What Is Second-Degree Murder in Michigan?
Second-degree murder covers all intentional killings that do not meet the requirements for first-degree murder. It’s charged when prosecutors claim you acted with:
- Intent to kill,
- Intent to cause great bodily harm, or
- Wanton and willful disregard of the natural likelihood of causing death or serious injury (often called “depraved heart” murder).
Examples include:
- Heated fights that escalate to lethal violence.
- Firing a gun into a crowd without targeting anyone specific.
- Beatings that go too far, resulting in death.
Second-degree murder charges often arise from unplanned but intentional acts, where the prosecution argues you showed extreme indifference to human life.
Penalties for Second-Degree Murder in Michigan
- Life imprisonment OR any term of years (determined by the judge).
- Judges have more discretion compared to first-degree murder.
- Sentences often range from 20 years to life, depending on aggravating and mitigating factors.
Even though there’s no mandatory life without parole, convictions often mean decades behind bars and lifelong consequences.
The Complexity of Second-Degree Murder Trials
Prosecutors must prove malice beyond a reasonable doubt, but malice can be inferred from circumstances. They may use:
- Eyewitness testimony.
- Forensic evidence like blood spatter or gunshot residue.
- Defendant’s statements, texts, or social media.
- Expert testimony on injuries and cause of death.
Defending against these cases requires a deep understanding of forensic science, human behavior in high-stress confrontations, and Michigan’s legal standards.
How Mamat Law Defends Second-Degree Murder Cases
At Mamat Law, we know that second-degree murder charges are often overcharged or misunderstood by prosecutors who ignore the realities of a situation. Our approach includes:
- Examining Intent and Malice: We challenge whether you truly intended to kill or cause harm. Malice is a high bar and often depends on weak circumstantial inferences.
- Presenting Alternative Explanations: Accidents, self-defense, misidentification, or other intervening causes.
- Self-Defense Strategy: Michigan’s Self-Defense Act protects those who honestly and reasonably believe deadly force was necessary to prevent imminent harm. We highlight your fear, threat perception, and lawful right to defend yourself.
- Heat of Passion / Provocation Argument: We argue for reducing second-degree charges to voluntary manslaughter when the killing occurred under extreme provocation.
- Attacking Witness Credibility: We cross-examine accusers, reveal biases, inconsistencies, or motives to lie.
- Forensic Defense: We challenge crime scene analysis, autopsy conclusions, and other scientific evidence.
- Negotiation and Plea Bargains: We fight to secure reduced charges and sentences, when appropriate, to minimize prison time and collateral damage to your life.
Our team treats every second-degree murder case with the seriousness it deserves knowing your entire future depends on the outcome. We’re committed to protecting your rights, telling your side of the story, and fighting for the best result possible in court.
Voluntary vs. Involuntary Manslaughter Defense Attorneys
While both voluntary and involuntary manslaughter are serious felonies in Michigan, they differ greatly in how the law treats intent, circumstances, and culpability. Manslaughter charges typically mean the prosecution could not prove murder-level malice, making these lesser charges.
Voluntary Manslaughter
Voluntary manslaughter recognizes that the defendant intended to kill or seriously harm someone, but did so in the “heat of passion” under adequate provocation.
Michigan courts define this as a killing that happens during an intense emotional state that would cause a reasonable person to lose self-control. It’s often charged when the death follows:
- Domestic disputes.
- Sudden violent fights.
- Discovering infidelity or betrayal.
- Personal insults or threats that escalate quickly.
The key element prosecutors must prove is adequate provocation, but this is often subjective and open to challenge.
Penalties:
- Felony with up to 15 years in prison.
- Up to $7,500 in fines.
- Possible restitution orders.
How Mamat Law Helps:
We focus on demonstrating the “heat of passion” element to convince prosecutors or juries to reduce murder charges to manslaughter. We use:
- Witness testimony about provocation.
- Psychological evaluations of your state of mind.
- Cross-examination to undermine claims of premeditation or malice.
- Negotiated plea deals that spare you decades in prison. Our goal is always to reduce exposure and protect your future while telling your side of the story.
Involuntary Manslaughter
Involuntary manslaughter covers unintentional killings where the defendant did not intend to kill or cause serious harm, but their actions were still criminally negligent or reckless.
Michigan law defines involuntary manslaughter as causing death through:
- Gross negligence: Acting with reckless disregard for human life (e.g., firing a gun recklessly in a crowded area).
- Unlawful acts not amounting to felonies: Deaths that occur during misdemeanors or minor crimes.
- Failure to perform a legal duty: Such as a caregiver’s duty to provide medical care to a dependent.
Examples of involuntary manslaughter include:
- Fatal car accidents caused by reckless driving.
- Accidental shootings during negligent handling of a firearm.
- Deaths caused during minor assaults without intent to kill.
Penalties:
- Felony with up to 15 years in prison.
- Significant fines and restitution to the victim’s family.
How Mamat Law Helps: We work to prove the absence of intent or malice, which are the difference between decades behind bars for murder and a lesser, more defensible manslaughter charge. Our strategies include:
- Challenging the definition of “gross negligence” used by prosecutors.
- Showing the act was a tragic accident without criminal recklessness.
- Highlighting your lack of prior criminal record or evidence of dangerous behavior.
- Negotiating for plea deals focused on reduced time or probation.
- Exploring alternatives like substance abuse or mental health treatment, if appropriate.
At Mamat Law, we know these cases are not just about legal strategy—they are about human stories, personal context, and ensuring one mistake doesn’t end your life.
Penalties and Consequences Beyond Prison
Homicide convictions carry devastating penalties in Michigan:
- Life imprisonment without parole for first-degree murder.
- Life or lengthy terms of years for second-degree murder.
- Up to 15 years for manslaughter.
- Restitution orders for victim compensation.
- Lifetime felony record affecting housing, employment, and civil rights.
- Immigration consequences, including deportation.
The Process For Murder Charges In Michigan
Homicide cases in Michigan typically follow these stages:
- Investigation and Arrest: Police detectives build cases using forensic evidence, witness interviews, and sometimes confessions.
- District Court Arraignment: Initial plea and bail arguments. Murder defendants are usually held without bail or with very high bond.
- Probable Cause Conference and Preliminary Exam: Prosecution must show enough evidence to proceed. Our lawyers challenge every aspect here to dismiss or reduce charges early.
- Circuit Court Arraignment: Formal charging in the county’s circuit court.
- Pretrial Motions: Including motions to suppress evidence obtained illegally.
- Trial: Jury trial with aggressive cross-examination, forensic challenges, and defense witnesses.
- Sentencing: If convicted, we advocate for minimum terms or mitigating factors.
Defending You In Court
At Mamat Law, we know your life is on the line. Our murder defense lawyers approach these cases with unmatched dedication:
- Independent investigation: We work with private investigators, forensic experts (DNA, ballistics), and medical professionals to uncover evidence the police missed or ignored.
- Forensic analysis: Challenging the reliability of crime scene work, autopsies, and lab reports.
- Constitutional defenses: Fighting illegal searches, coerced confessions, and violations of your rights to counsel and confrontation.
- Self-defense: Michigan’s Self-Defense Act and “Castle Doctrine” let you use deadly force in certain situations. We prove your use of force was necessary and legal.
- Mental state challenges: We question the prosecution’s claims about intent and malice, essential elements for murder convictions.
- Negotiation: When appropriate, we fight to reduce murder charges to manslaughter, greatly lowering sentencing exposure.
- Trial advocacy: Experienced in Michigan’s circuit courts, we know how to present a compelling case to juries.
We treat every client with dignity and personal attention, understanding the fear and confusion that come with facing a murder charge.
Why Choose Mamat Law For Your Michigan Murder Defense
- Statewide Reach: We represent clients in every Michigan county, from Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb to Kent, Genesee, Washtenaw, Ingham, and beyond.
- Experienced Trial Lawyers: Skilled in jury trials, cross-examinations, and presenting complex defenses.
- Aggressive Strategy: We challenge every element of the prosecution’s case and never back down.
- Client-Focused Representation: Personal attention, 24/7 availability, and honest guidance at every stage.
- Proven Results: Dismissals, acquittals, and negotiated plea deals to reduced charges.
Contact Mamat Law For a Free Consultation
If you or someone you love is facing murder or manslaughter charges in Michigan, do not wait. Contact Mamat Law today for a free, confidential consultation. We will listen to your story, explain your options, and build the strongest defense possible. Your future is too important to face these charges alone.