You are being accused of committing or attempting to commit some type of violent crime punishable under the UCMJ. You are scared and nobody seems to be on your side.  Military law enforcement and your command appear to have already pronounced you guilty.

There is talk of severe punishment, including a dishonorable discharge and prison time if you are found guilty. You may feel as if your military career and even your life are over, or at least catastrophically impacted.   

The government and its military prosecutors are coming after you with everything they have and will do everything in their power to convict you and see you sentenced. 

• Military law enforcement like CID, NCIS, OSI and CGIS will use coercive interrogation techniques and even lie to get a confession.
• The vast resources of the government will be used against you.
• A free military lawyer may be telling you to take a deal without even properly investigating the case on your behalf.

Even if you are actually innocent, it doesn’t matter. The government already thinks you are guilty, otherwise it wouldn’t be prosecuting you. The government’s evidence may be extremely weak, but it doesn’t matter. Their military prosecutors are hand-picked because of their skill—they think they can win and plan on winning. A good prosecutor can make up for weaknesses in the evidence, especially if your defense attorney is not as good. 

Our court martial lawyers have a history of defending military service members against violent crime charges. A small sample of the types of cases we have aggressively defended against include attempted premeditated murder, murder for hire allegations, manslaughter charges, and assault and battery charges. We even have death penalty case experience.

Some service members just want to roll over and plead guilty. If that’s not you, if you want to fight and give yourself a chance of being found not guilty, our team of military defense lawyers is ready to fight for you.

We Defend Military Members against All Violent Crimes

A conviction for a violent crime in the military is no small thing. In fact, the stakes could not be much higher because the consequences are so horrific.

• Imprisonment, perhaps for decades or more defending on the offense, is a real possibility.
• All military benefits are in danger, including your G.I. Bill.
• A felony level criminal conviction will follow you for life, making civilian employment extremely difficult. Even fast food chains can inquire about your criminal record.

If you are serious about getting the best possible outcome in your case, call our office today and speak to our experienced court martial attorneys who know how to defend against UCMJ violent crimes charges.

Self Defense May Apply to Your Case, Even if it’s Not Obvious

Typical violent crime offenses charged by the government fall under Articles 118, 119, 122, and 128 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

For most of the offense covered under these articles, including murder, manslaughter, and assault, self defense can be a perfect defense and may apply to your case without you knowing it.

For example, did you know that a person can legal display a deadly weapon to deter? Did you know that even if you were the initial aggressor in a fight you can become entitled to defend yourself under certain circumstances?

You owe it to yourself to find out whether self defense could be a winning strategy in your case. Call today to speak to a defense attorney experienced in the matter.

What If I Confessed? – Is It Over?

 No.  It is not over. There are defense strategies that can be used to overcome a confession.

Military law enforcement interrogations are often viewed and criticized as being extremely coercive. NCIS, CID, OSI, CGIS—all of their agents can lie to you in the hopes of getting you to confess. They may have told you that they have evidence they don’t have. They may have told you that witnesses said things that they didn’t say. They may have told self defense doesn’t apply when it does.  These are just a few of the underhanded tactics that military law enforcement agents can use to coerce a bogus and legally defective confession.

If your confession was coerced by law enforcement, it can be suppressed by the military judge. Without the confession as evidence, the government’s case can become a total loser.  

Unfortunately, if you have been talking to a free military attorney supplied by your service, they might not want to fight for suppression. Instead, they may be pushing for you to quickly plead guilty so you can get a so called “good deal.” In our experience, quickly pleading guilty is often the biggest mistake a military accused can make.

Don’t get it twisted though, confession cases are not easy. It will be a fight. But service members don’t come to us for easy cases. They come to us because they have so much to lose and refuse to be beaten into submission. 

Our team has been fighting for the best interests of service members for years. So if you really want to fight the charges you are facing, contact our office today and find out how we would investigate, prepare, and defend your case.  

Violent Crime Defense Practice Areas

• Murder/Manslaughter
• Aggravated Assault
• Robbery/Burglary
• Shaken Baby Injury and Deaths
• Self Defense