Being accused of murder is one of the scariest positions a person can be in. It is even worse if you are actually charged with this crime. Murder charges carry some of the harshest penalties in Florida. A criminal defense attorney in Broward County can begin work immediately on your case once you retain his or her services. An experienced criminal defense attorney in Broward County will work quickly to determine if any of the following defenses are viable.

Self-Defense 

In some instances, you may have been defending yourself against the criminal acts of another person. A confrontation may have escalated, resulting in the death of another. Killing another person is not always unlawful, such as if you were defending your life or that of another.

Mistaken Identity 

In some homicide cases, a witness identifies a particular person who did not actually commit the crime. The witness may have remembered the identified person from something else and mistakenly believed him or her to be the killer. Witness identification is often unreliable.

Lack of Planning 

In some cases, a killing may occur, but there may not have been any premeditation. A criminal defense attorney can work to mitigate the consequences defendants face by showing lack of planning or premeditation. In some instances, a heat of the moment defense can take many years off of a potential sentence.

Alibi 

If you were somewhere else at the time of the crime, your criminal defense attorney can work to prove this fact. He or she can interview witnesses, explore cell phone data and review receipts that may help prove it was not possible for you to have committed the crime because you were somewhere else.

It is possible for an experienced criminal defense attorney to challenge murder charges against a defendant.