Orange County Manslaughter Defense Attorney

Manslaughter is a form of criminal homicide that involves the unlawful killing of another person either by way of criminal negligence or in the heat of passion. Vehicular manslaughter is a common form of manslaughter, wherein a driver is acting recklessly in some way (such as driving drunk or violating a traffic law) and therefore causes the unintentional death of another person. Murder charges may also be reduced to manslaughter when the defendant was sufficiently provoked or in certain extreme emotional circumstances where he or she was not thinking clearly or acting as he or she normally would.

Have you been accused of manslaughter? Contact a lawyer at the Law Offices of Fred Thiagarajah today for a free consultation regarding your case. Our firm represents clients throughout Orange County who have been arrested for, charged with, or are currently under investigation for manslaughter.

Voluntary and Involuntary Manslaughter in Orange County, California

Manslaughter may be designated as "voluntary manslaughter" or "involuntary manslaughter" depending on the unique case.

Voluntary manslaughter is committed when a person intentionally kills or causes the death of another person, committed in the heat of passion or with reasonable provocation by the victim or the circumstances. For example, Sally comes home to find her husband, Bob, in bed with another woman. She grabs a baseball bat beside the bed and kills Bob. Rather than being charged as murder, which is typically intentional, preplanned and committed with malice aforethought, Sally would likely face voluntary manslaughter charges because the act was committed in the heat of passion.

Involuntary manslaughter involves cases of criminal negligence, such as the above case of a drunk driver or person who violates a traffic law.

For more information about your voluntary or involuntary manslaughter charges, contact an Orange County manslaughter defense attorney at the Law Offices of Fred Thiagarajah today.