Hire a Federal Homicide Lawyer
If you are soon being sent to federal prison for homicide of any type, you might be feeling anxious about what lies ahead.
This would be especially true if you are now going to prison for the first time and don’t know what to expect. Maybe you’re asking yourself questions such as “What will the other prisoners be like?” or “Will I be able to make it?”
Perhaps in the past, you’ve searched online for “How many years in prison for murder.”
However, despite your feelings of nervousness before your sentence begins, you do have resources available to help you.
You can hire a homicide lawyer from the Zoukis Consulting Group to examine your unique circumstances and advise you on how to get through your imprisonment as smoothly as possible. From meeting cellmates to adapting to prison culture, our experts are ready to advise you on everything you need.
How your time in prison will go depends on the crime of which you were convicted. With that in mind, let’s explore the various types of homicide and what each involves as far as federal punishments.
And remember, when you need assistance preparing for prison, you can hire one of our homicide attorneys today.
First-Degree Murder
We begin with first-degree murder, the most serious homicide charge.
Put simply, first-degree murder is the unlawful killing of a person in a way that is intentional and premeditated. It is wishing to kill someone, planning that murder, and then executing it.
Now, it is important to note that, here at the Zoukis Consulting Group, we advise individuals who have been charged with homicide on the federal level. And, as you may know, murder may be prosecuted in state courts.
First-degree murder, and any type of murder, can be either a state or federal crime depending on certain conditions met at the time of the killing. Murders violating state laws become state crimes.
But murders become federal cases if, for instance, the defendant killed a federal judge, killed someone during a bank robbery, or committed the crime on federal land, such as in a national park.
Depending on the circumstances, someone convicted of first-degree murder may be sentenced to death or life in federal prison. It depends on the judge and how well the individual’s homicide attorney can navigate the legal system on behalf of the defendant.
If you are headed to federal prison for any length of time, call a federal murder lawyer at the Zoukis Consulting Group now. We can advise you, defend your rights in court, and see that you make it through this difficult time.
Second-Degree Murder
Meanwhile, second-degree murder is the willful killing of another person when premeditation is not involved.
For example, a man will likely be charged with second-degree murder if he suddenly gets into an argument with someone and, in the course of the conflict, intentionally kills that person. The second-degree murder charge would be brought against the man for his unplanned moment of fatal violence.
Individuals may also be charged with second-degree murder if they end up killing someone that they only intended to inflict with serious bodily harm. For example, someone strikes someone else, intending only to hurt that person, but actually ends up killing the person.
Prosecutors may also bring second-degree murder charges against someone who ended up killing another person during a display of extreme indifference to human life.
An example of this could be wildly firing a gun where people are assembled and accidentally striking and killing someone. There may not have been an intent to kill, but the action shows a blatant disregard for safety and did, in fact, end up killing.
As you can see, second-degree murder involves no prior planning but still results in the murder of another person. As with all the types of homicide discussed here, second-degree murder can be prosecuted in federal courts if it meets the criteria for a federal crime.
Defendants found guilty of second-degree murder in the federal court system may be imprisoned for any length of time, including life. However, the death penalty is ruled out.
Voluntary Manslaughter
We next come to voluntary manslaughter, which can sometimes be similar to second-degree murder but has an important distinction.
Voluntary manslaughter occurs when one person kills another without malice or premeditation, but rather in an impulsive, emotional state, as in a “heat of passion.”
Consider a person who kills the man with whom he catches his wife cheating. In that moment, the husband is emotional at what he has discovered. In a fit of rage, he murders the man.
The husband obviously had no prior intention to kill, and because of the emotions involved, the killing will probably be judged as voluntary manslaughter rather than second-degree murder. That’s because the husband cannot be said to have definitively known what he was doing; emotions clouded his judgment.
At the federal level, voluntary manslaughter carries a possible sentence of a fine, up to 15 years in federal prison, or a combination of both.
Involuntary Manslaughter
Involuntary manslaughter is the next type of homicide of which people may be found guilty. It’s also called criminally negligent homicide. As with all the previously mentioned types of homicide, this one is all about the intentions behind the actions.
People commit involuntary manslaughter when they engage in negligent actions that end up killing others.
A common example is the motorist who strikes and kills someone while driving drunk. Killing the victim was not the driver’s intention, and yet the driver was negligent in choosing to drive a car while intoxicated.
In these cases, the manslaughter is literally involuntary.
The federal punishment for involuntary manslaughter is a fine and/or a prison sentence not exceeding eight years.
Conspiracy or Solicitation to Commit Murder
We come now to the final major categories of homicide that are punishable under U.S. law: conspiracy to commit murder and solicitation of murder.
Conspiracy charges can be brought against defendants for a multitude of crimes, not just murder. In this case, however, a conspiracy to commit murder is the planning between at least two people to carry out a murder and for at least one person of the group to execute an overt act toward that end.
For instance, you and a friend might plan to kill someone together, and the “overt act” could be you going to a store to buy supplies for the murder, such as guns or knives.
U.S. federal law states that any persons found guilty of conspiring to commit murder can be sentenced to any term of years in prison or life imprisonment.
Meanwhile, the solicitation of murder occurs when one party requests or persuades another party to carry out a murder, particularly if the agreement involves the exchange of money or anything else of value.
A clear example of solicitation to commit murder occurs when someone hires another person to kill a victim. If found guilty of murder solicitation at the federal level, the person who did the solicitation can be punished by up to half the sentence of what the actual murder charge carries.
The punishment for the solicitor will vary based on the circumstances of the murder. For instance, the one solicited to do the killing may not have been able to carry it out to completion and will be charged only with attempted murder. That charge affects how much time the solicitor will serve.
If the punishment for the murder charge is life imprisonment or death, however, the person who solicited the crime can receive no more than 20 years in prison.
Let a Homicide Lawyer Guide You Today
The Zoukis Consulting Group has federal homicide attorneys standing by, ready to help if you need legal representation in court.
If you have already been found guilty of any of these forms of homicide at the federal level and received a federal prison sentence for murder, the Zoukis Consulting Group is here to step in.
We specialize in educating convicted persons in everything from prison preparation to dealing with prisoner culture to reentering society after being released.
Following your conviction, you may be frightened and anxious about what is next for you. Our homicide lawyers are here to alleviate your fears. We offer advice designed to give you the best chance of thriving during your sentence so you come out stronger than before.
Whether you need our criminal defense or prison-life consulting, we will answer your call.
Call us today to begin your initial case consultation.
Published Feb 15, 2022 by Christopher Zoukis, JD, MBA | Last Updated by Christopher Zoukis, JD, MBA on May 12, 2023 at 10:30 am
