USEFUL LINKS
CONTACT OUR LAW OFFICES:
Address: 1119 Adams Street 2nd Floor
Toledo, Ohio 43604
Email: kurt@lawkwb.com
Phone: (419) 243-3800
Homicide/Murder Charges
The Law Offices of Kurt W. Bruderly, LLC aggressively defends homicides, murder, manslaughter, and involuntary manslaughter allegations in Lucas & Wood Counties, including Toledo, Maumee, Perrysburg, Bowling Green, Sylvania and the surrounding counties of Fulton, Henry, Ottawa, and Sandusky.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
If it is alleged that your actions caused or contributed to the death of another, you should remain silent, but contact the Law Offices of Kurt W. Bruderly as soon as possible. The most serious of Ohio’s felonies, a homicide conviction can potentially lead to life imprisonment. They are quickly and aggressively investigated by police and are the priority of all prosecutors. Only the most capable defense attorneys should handle these cases.
"I was defending myself. Can the Police still charge me?"
Yes. Self-defense is a unique “affirmative defense” that is decided by a judge or jury in a trial, not by the police at the time of arrest. In Ohio, the Prosecutor must prove beyond a reasonable doubt at trial that a defendant was NOT acting in self-defense. The legal definition of self-defense is that a person must not be at fault in creating the situation giving rise to event in which the death occurred; and have reasonable grounds to believe and an honest belief, even if mistaken, that they were in imminent danger of death or great bodily harm, and that his/her only reasonable means of escape from such danger was by the use of deadly force; and he/she had not violated any duty to retreat to avoid the danger.
“This was an accident/I didn’t touch anyone. Will I be charged?”
Most likely, yes. Many homicide charges account for reckless or careless behavior. Some even allow for prosecution when your intent was clearly to do something other than cause someone else harm. The complexities of homicide laws are why it is important to not try and “talk yourself out of” a charge, but to remain silent and contact a skilled and highly recommended attorney.
“What can YOU do for me?”
Each situation is unique but ethically, lawyers cannot and should not promise certain results or make claims about themselves such as being “the best”. The best practices for mounting a skilled defense include: intimate knowledge of the local courts and participants; a thorough confidential client interview; obtaining all case discovery including in-car and body-cam police video, audio dispatch recordings, 9-1-1 audio recordings, interviewing any witnesses, hiring skilled expert witnesses, preparing a client for the courtroom, and the ability to present a case in court in pretrial motion hearings and at trial.