Violent Crimes

Violent crimes are scary. Violent crimes typically have a heftier jail sentence in most cases.

Have you been the victim of a violent crime? Looking to find a way to recover financially? Do you need a protection from abuse order as a result of a violent crime? Were you accused of a violent crime and are seeking to clear your name? At Fruendlich & Littman, LLC, we want to help victims of violent crimes as well as those wrongly accused. An accusation of a violent is not a jail sentence. We can help you to navigate through. For a violent crime, there must be evidence of malicious intent. Non-intentional crimes are not violent crimes. The intent of perpetrator matters. The law places a heavy weight on evidence of violence because violence tends to cause more harm and panic.

Congress enacted the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act. This act provided extra funding for law enforcement agencies to crack down on violent crimes across the United States. While the act is controversial, it provided insight and funding for violent crimes.

According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, a violent crime is:
“…composed of four offenses: murder and non-negligent manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery, and aggravated assault. Violent crimes are defined in the UCR Program as those offenses which involve force or threat of force.” We at Freundlich & Littman, LLC are here to help you recover after a violent crime. Whether that means defending you or helping you to maintain your safety, we can help. If you suspect a violent crime, call 911 immediately. If you need legal help, contact us.

Contact us today for a free consultation and case evaluation.

Aggravated Assault & Robbery

An aggravated assault is the same as a simple assault with one key difference. The law defines aggravated assault as “attempts to cause serious bodily injury to another, or causes such injury intentionally, knowingly or recklessly under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to the value of human life.”

Aggravated assault also applies to assaults against teachers, school officials, officers, and government employees. The next violent crime is robbery. Different states define and punish robbery different. Pennsylvania law defines robbery as:
“A person is guilty of robbery if, in the course of committing a theft, he:

inflicts serious bodily injury upon another;
threatens another with or intentionally puts him in fear of immediate serious bodily injury;
commits or threatens immediately to commit any felony of the first or second degree;
inflicts bodily injury upon another or threatens another with or intentionally puts him in fear of immediate bodily injury;
physically takes or removes property from the person of another by force however slight; or
takes or removes the money of a financial institution without the permission of the financial institution by making a demand of an employee of the financial institution orally or in writing with the intent to deprive the financial institution thereof.”

Forcible Rape

Bear in mind that a rape may happen through force in Pennsylvania. For a rape to occur, however, there does not have to be force. For a violent crime of rape, there must be force.

Pennsylvania defines rape as:
“A person commits a felony of the first degree when the person engages in sexual intercourse with a complainant:

By forcible compulsion.
By threat of forcible compulsion that would prevent resistance by a person of reasonable resolution.
Who is unconscious or where the person knows that the complainant is unaware that the sexual intercourse is occurring.
Where the person has substantially impaired the complainant’s power to appraise or control his or her conduct by administering or employing, without the knowledge of the complainant, drugs, intoxicants or other means for the purpose of preventing resistance.
Who suffers from a mental disability which renders the complainant incapable of consent.”

Pennsylvania Murder Statute

Murder needs one basic element – willful intent. This is different than manslaughter. To be guilty of murder you need to intend to kill. A prosecutor shows intent through testimony of the murderer’s actions and words. Each state has varying degrees of murder. In Pennsylvania, murder is a type of criminal homicide. The degrees of murder in Pennsylvania are:

“Murder of the first degree.–A criminal homicide constitutes murder of the first degree when it is committed by an intentional killing.

Murder of the second degree.–A criminal homicide constitutes murder of the second degree when it is committed while defendant was engaged as a principal or an accomplice in the perpetration of a felony.

Murder of the third degree.–All other kinds of murder shall be murder of the third degree. Murder of the third degree is a felony of the first degree.”