What are Violent Crimes in North Carolina? Being charged with a crime can be frightening, but if you are charged with a violent crime, it can make the situation even more difficult. Violent crimes are generally more serious than other crimes, and if convicted, the sentences are usually severe. It…
Articles Posted in Murder/Homicide
Defending Against Hit-and-Run Charges
Defending Against Hit-and-Run Charges If you are involved in an accident in North Carolina, you must remain at the scene. If you leave the scene, it is considered a crime, and you could be charged with hit and run. Hit-and-run charges are serious, and you could face penalties that include…
This is the Deadliest Street in Charlotte, NC, in Terms of Crime
Charlotte Criminal Lawyer Brad Smith answers the question: “What are the long term effects of being convicted of a crime?” A new report by Charlotte Observer explores the most murderous stretch of road in the city. The street, which is about 3,350 feet long, is one of Charlotte’s “hot…
Charlotte Police Creates Map of Violent Crime ‘Hot Spots’ in the City
Charlotte Criminal Lawyer Brad Smith answers the question: “Should I talk to the police?” After 108 homicides in Charlotte last year, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department prepared a map of violent crime “hot spots” in the city. The map was shown to members of the Charlotte City Council. The department…
Murder Suspects in Charlotte Will No Longer Get Ankle Bracelets, CMPD Says
Charlotte Criminal Lawyer Brad Smith answers the question: “Am I allowed to videotape an interaction with police? Can they make me stop filming?” Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police (CMPD) has announced drastic changes to its electronic monitoring program in the city amid concerns that people released from jail before trial pose a…
North Carolina Appeals Court Rules on the Use of Defensive Force in the Home
Charlotte Criminal Lawyer Brad Smith answers the question: “What are the long term effects of being convicted of a crime?” In 2011, the North Carolina General Assembly updated the law governing the use of defensive force in the home. Since then, there has been a need for clarification of…
Florida Court Decides Whether Cars Count As Deadly Weapons
Charlotte Criminal Lawyer Brad Smith answers the question: “If I have an outstanding warrant, what should I do?” When you think of deadly weapons most people imagine the classics: guns and knives. Crimes that include heightened penalties for being committed with deadly weapons thus typically involve defendants who had…
Minnesota Judge Appears To Defy Federal Ruling
Charlotte Criminal Lawyer Brad Smith answers the question: “What are the long term effects of being convicted of a crime?” Criminal cases are seldom very exciting. Though TV and movies would have you believe differently, the reality is that court rules and procedures restrict what participants are able to…
Criminal Implications of Charlottesville Car Attack
Charlotte Criminal Lawyer Brad Smith answers the question: “How is getting charged with a crime on a college campus different from being charged off campus?” The incident over the weekend in Charlottesville, VA where neo-Nazis and white supremacists gathered to protest the removal of Confederate statues resulted in the…
Is sloppiness enough to justify murder conviction?
Charlotte Criminal Lawyer Brad Smith answers the question: “If I have an outstanding warrant, what should I do?” A big case that gripped the nation several years ago has finally come to a close. The case, against the owner and head pharmacist at the New England Compounding Center, garnered…