Category: Criminal Offenses

In state court, it depends on the kind of drug case, the speed at which the prosecutor pursues it, and whether the accused is released pending trial. In many cases, the state must test the substance to determine that it’s an illegal drug. If the case is charged as a felony offense, it usually winds…

Homicide is simply the unlawful killing of a human being, and it covers both murder and manslaughter. This includes intentional killing, and under certain circumstances, unintentional killing. Generally speaking, murder is defined as the unlawful killing of a human being with malice. Sometimes that includes premeditation and deliberation, sometimes it does not. Under certain circumstances,…

White-collar crimes are not a legally recognized category of offenses, but crimes involving allegations of fraud, deceit or theft often carry that label. Many federal offenses are considered white-collar crimes. The name is associated with offenses that often implicate people in a business, a financial institution, or a government entity, as opposed what someone might…

In North Carolina, there are only two penalties for first degree murder: the death penalty or life without parole. A second degree murder is classified as a B-1 felony. Under certain circumstances, second degree murder it considered a B-2 felony. Both the B-1 and B-2 charges are very high level offenses and carry penalties of…

Sex offenses vary greatly. Defending allegations of possession of child pornography is much different from defending against allegations of inappropriately touching a child. I tailor the defense to the situation. Sometimes, I use forensic experts in computer science, mental health, and social work to review the allegations and evidence. Other times, the defense centers on…

I live in a college community, so I see a lot of lower level drug offenses, like marijuana possession. Many students and other people are charged with simple possession offenses, where the person is accused of possession a quantity of drugs most likely for personal use. While that is a common offense, I represent a…

It’s really hard to say how often I tend to take criminal cases to trial. I think that criminal trials tend to come in waves. I’ve certainly had years where I’ve tried 10 cases, and I’ve never had years where I’ve tried none. But it’s important to know that there are all levels of trials,…