Convicted of Murder

Answer:

As with any conviction here in the state of Arizona, if you’re convicted of murder there is a range of sentences that you are going to face. Here in Arizona, we have mandatory sentencing statutes and regulations. Even the judge’s discretion is limited here in Arizona.

Generally, when you’re convicted of certain crimes, particularly murder, there’s a presumptive sentence. That means upon conviction, it’s presumed that this is the amount of time you’re going to get. There are opportunities to ask for a mitigated sentence or the minimum sentence. This is when evidence is injected into the sentencing hearing that causes the judge to say, “Well, maybe we shouldn’t give them the presumed sentence; we should mitigate it or give them the minimum.” On the other hand, the prosecutor can inject evidence that says, no, we should aggravate this sentence or give them the maximum sentence. This will be discussed in a sentencing hearing that will happen after a person is convicted.

What can happen to you if you’re convicted of murder? It depends on what kind of murder you’re convicted of. If it’s capital murder, you can be put to death. If it’s less than capital murder, you can serve life in prison. There could be a number of ranges of sentences depending on the murder charge and the other charges that are attached to it. Sometimes, sentences can be stacked. Is this your first offense, or is it your 15th offense? Were there other aggravating factors that caused sentence enhancements? These are all things that you will discuss with your lawyer. We have a duty under the law to walk over all of that – the worst thing that could happen to you and the most favorable outcome.

While no lawyer can promise you any outcome, we have an obligation to the law to go over with you the possible sentencing ranges and what can happen to you. There are number of things that can happen— anything from serving life in prison down to probation or dismissal of charges— so you want to talk with your lawyer about that and make sure that you’re fully aware of what your exposure is concerning your murder charge or whatever other charges you are facing.