Strangulation Charge Defense in New York City
Accused of Strangulation? Get an NYC Criminal Lawyer!
The New York State Legislature has addressed the issue of strangulation
by making it a new crime under New York Penal Law §121.12 in November
2010. This law makes it a felony offense to choke another person (or strangle
them) with the intention of halting their ability to breathe, or impeding
their blood flow to the point of putting the victim into a stupor, or
otherwise causing any type of physical injury.
This crime under the new law came into existence through heavy lobbying
by domestic violence advocates who maintained that during a domestic dispute,
if choking or strangling took place, the individual who committed the
strangulation could get away with only a misdemeanor charge if the alleged
victim did not lose their lives.
New York: Misdemeanor & Felony Strangulation
As the law currently stands, there are 3 degrees of the crime. The first
level is a Class A misdemeanor. These are cases in which it is alleged
that an individual is guilty of criminal obstruction of breathing or blood
circulation and no damage has taken place to the alleged victim. When
the crime involves the loss of consciousness (for any period of time),
stupor, or any physical injury or impairment, the crime will be filed
as a class D felony, and is called "strangulation in the second degree."
Strangulation in the first degree is a hate crime specified offense, (increased
penalties) and is when there has been a serious physical injury or impairment
as the result of the act of strangulation, and is a class C violent felony
offense. There is one other part of the law in which a valid defense is
that the strangulation was for a medical or dental purpose.
Until recently there had been no felony trials in New York for strangulation,
but recently the New York City criminal defense law firm
H. Benjamin Perez & Associates, P.C. successfully defended what is believed to have been the first New York
felony trial under the new law. There are countless cases pending, and
many are facing very serious penalties if they do not manage to find a
lawyer that knows how to defend against this type of crime in court.
There were over 2,000 arrests in the state under the new strangulation
charge in the first 15 weeks that the law was enacted. Strangulation has
become a common criminal charge in
domestic violence cases, and the penalties are now far more severe than those that were imposed
prior to the change in the law.
What to Do if Accused of Felony Strangulation in NY
Searching for an attorney for a strangulation case in New York City? You
can expect to spend a lengthy sentence in state prison for this felony
if you are found guilty. You can lose access to your home, your personal
possessions, and your children. The impact on the life of the accused
is often extensive, even prior to the trial taking place. How your case
is managed is extremely important, and at our firm you can expect to have
legal representation that takes your case seriously and will do everything
possible to assist you, both in negotiations with the prosecuting attorney
and at trial.
We are
NYC criminal defense lawyers, and will carefully evaluate every piece of evidence, and if your case
makes it to court, you can expect that your rights will be zealously protected
and that an effective defense strategy will be in place throughout the
proceedings. We believe in our clients and we are on their side. We know
how to fight, and are prepared to do so when we represent a client charged
with any degree of strangulation.