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According to FBI statistics, more than 350,000 robberies are committed nationwide each year. Robbery is also quite common in Texas, where more than 30,000 robberies are committed on average each year.
Robbery is defined as the taking of money, property or valuables from another person through the use of violence, threats or intimidation; and being charged with it can have serious implications on a defendant’s life upon conviction. Charges can be even more distressing if a weapon was used or if the robbery has premeditated. Extended prison sentences and heavy fines could change a person’s life for many years to come.
If you are charged with this type of crime, you must immediately seek and retain an experienced robbery charges defense attorney. This is not a time to take short-cuts. You will want the best attorney you can find.
There are several possible ways an attorney may choose to defend against this type of crime if you choose to fight it. Sometimes, if you are guilty, you will want your attorney to negotiate the best possible plea bargain on your behalf. But going this route will still have severe consequences for your life.
If you choose to fight the charges, your best bet may be to offer up a solid alibi to try and prove that you did not commit the robbery. Of course, this does not work in all cases, especially if a defendant is caught on surveillance cameras. At other times, however, it may be valid as a means of introducing reasonable doubt that the defendant committed the robbery. This defense is especially strong when another witness can testify that the defendant was somewhere else when the robbery was committed.
Another common defense is duress. This means that a person committed a robbery because they were threatened with death or serious bodily injury if they did not participate in the crime. An attorney must be able to show that a sufficient threat existed to help place reasonable doubt in the minds of a jury.
Though less common, entrapment is sometimes used. A lack of intent may also be offered up as a defense when a person does not have enough mental capacity to show they specifically intended to rob someone.
The Law Office of Maverick Ray serves clients in Houston, Pasadena and other nearby Texas communities.
