Choosing the best homicide attorney in Sacramento.
If you are looking for a homicide attorney in Sacramento, start with the question that matters most: who will actually be handling your case? I am Chris Parkhurst, Esq. I have been defending cases in Sacramento County since 1999, and my State Bar number is 203402. You work with us directly rather than with an intake team or a call center.
What that means in practice is straightforward. I read your file before I tell you what I think of it, I explain what it actually supports, and I give you the realistic range of outcomes rather than the encouraging end of it. For the detail on the charge itself, see homicide and manslaughter defense. To find out what happens next in your case, call.
Homicide charges I defend.
These are the homicide matters I handle for clients in Sacramento and across Sacramento County.
- Murder. Penal Code 187, which requires malice, express or implied.
- Voluntary manslaughter. A killing on sudden quarrel or heat of passion.
- Involuntary manslaughter. Without malice, during an unlawful act or through criminal negligence.
- Vehicular manslaughter. Where a death results from driving, with the degree turning on the negligence alleged.
- Gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated. The most serious charge arising from a DUI.
- Attempted murder. Requires a specific intent to kill, a higher bar than the act alone establishes.
- Firearm enhancements. Exposure that can exceed the underlying count.
- Justifiable homicide. Not a charge but a complete answer to one, covering defence of self and others.
If your charge is not listed, call me. Working out what you are actually facing is the first useful thing that happens.
What I look at first.
What I examine first in a homicide case out of Sacramento:
- What was said in the first interviews, and under what circumstances
- The scene, before it changes or is released
- Whether malice is actually supported, or only the act
- Whether the degree charged is sustainable on the evidence
- Whether self-defence or defence of another applies
- Whether each enhancement has evidence behind it
None of that happens on its own. It happens because somebody asked for it early, while it still existed.
Who arrested you in Sacramento.
Sacramento Police Department. 5770 Freeport Blvd #200, Sacramento, CA 95822. (916) 808-5471.
- Sacramento County Sheriff. the unincorporated county surrounding the city, and the Main Jail where people are booked.
- California Highway Patrol. Interstate 5, Highway 50, Interstate 80 and Highway 99, which all meet in or beside the city.
- Sacramento Regional Transit police. the light rail system and the stations along it.
- Sacramento State and UC Davis Medical Center forces. their respective campuses, each with its own jurisdiction.
Sacramento is the largest city in the region and the county seat, so both the volume of cases and the machinery that handles them are concentrated here. Four major routes meet in or beside the city, and the CHP writes a large share of the traffic reports as a result. Midtown and the K Street corridor produce most of the late-night calls, the light rail system has its own transit police, and two campuses add their own forces. Which of those agencies made the arrest is the first thing worth establishing, because they do not keep records the same way.
Where a Sacramento case is heard.
A homicide case arising in Sacramento is prosecuted by the Sacramento County District Attorney at 901 G St, Sacramento, CA 95814 and heard in Sacramento County. The date and location printed on your citation or release paperwork is the authority rather than anything on this page.
Gordon D. Schaber Sacramento County Courthouse
720 9th St, Sacramento, CA 95814. (916) 874-5522
How this office charges cases and what happens between arrest and arraignment is set at county level. See Sacramento County.
Areas I serve around Sacramento.
Sacramento is large, and the city boundary meets unincorporated county on several sides.
- Downtown and the court district. where the courts, the District Attorney's office, the Main Jail and my office all sit.
- Midtown and the K Street corridor. the main bar and restaurant district, and the source of most late-night arrests.
- Oak Park and Land Park. residential neighbourhoods south of the centre, policed by Sacramento PD.
- Natomas and North Sacramento. north of the river, with the Interstate 5 and Interstate 80 corridors running through.
- Arden-Arcade and the unincorporated ring. Sheriff territory rather than city police, and the boundary is not obvious.
I also cover Elk Grove, Rancho Cordova, West Sacramento.
Sacramento questions I hear most.
What is the difference between murder and manslaughter?
Malice. Murder under Penal Code 187 requires it; manslaughter under Penal Code 192 is an unlawful killing without it. Provocation and an honest but unreasonable belief in the need for self-defence reduce murder to manslaughter.
Should a family member talk to detectives to clear things up?
Not before speaking to a lawyer. These cases are built substantially from what people say in the first days while trying to be helpful. Declining an interview until you have advice is not an admission of anything.
Is a homicide charge a strike?
Yes. Every offence in this category appears on the serious or violent felony lists, so a conviction is counted permanently. See violent crimes.
Is there a criminal court in Sacramento?
Yes — Sacramento is the county seat, so the court is here.
Do I have to appear in court myself?
For most misdemeanours an attorney can appear on your behalf. Felonies generally require your presence. Which applies depends on the charge, so it is worth asking early rather than assuming.
What does defending a homicide case in Sacramento cost?
It depends on the charge, whether it is a misdemeanour or a felony, and whether the case is likely to resolve or be tried. Call and I will tell you what representation in your situation would cost before you commit to anything. For the general picture, see what a criminal defence lawyer costs in California.
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