If you are being charged with murder in San Diego, it is important to know what legal consequences you may be facing. Under California law, murder is the unlawful killing of another human being with malice aforethought.　 (P.C. § 187(a))　 First degree murder exists when a person commits murder with premeditation and deliberation or under certain circumstances such as by poison or during a drive-by shooting. (P.C. § 189)

To convict a defendant of murder, the prosecution must show that the defendant committed an unjustifiable homicide with “malice aforethought.”　 Malice aforethought is a mental state that exists when the defendant had a conscious intent to cause death or great bodily harm, willfully acted with disregard of danger to another human life, or when the homicide happened during the commission of an inherently dangerous felony.

Murder is an extremely serious crime and the consequences can be very severe. A conviction of　first degree murder can result in a sentence of　 25 years to life in prison or life without the possibility of parole (P.C. § 190(a)). A murder conviction is also a strike under California’s three-strike law. Due to the possibility of such a severe punishment, it is vital that you hire an experienced San Diego murder criminal defense attorney to aggressively defend you.

If you or someone you know has been accused of murder, you will need an experienced San Diego criminal defense attorney who will aggressively defend you against one of the most serious crimes in the state’s penal code.　 At Wallin & Klarich, we have helped people accused of murder for over 30 years.　 Call us today at (888) 280-6839 or visit us at our website at www.wklaw.com. We will be there when you call.