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Articles Tagged with self-defense

Defenses to Criminal Domestic Violence Charges

Published on: May 2, 2018 | On behalf of Arnold & Smith, PLLC

Charlotte Criminal Lawyer Brad Smith answers the question: “The person that called the police doesn’t want to press charges, can I still be prosecuted?”

North Carolina prosecutors vigorously prosecute domestic violence cases. This strict approach is in response to the general public’s feeling that abuse among partners is heinous and should not be acceptable. As such, a defendant facing a criminal domestic violence charge needs to be equipped with the best defenses possible. The following are common defenses used in domestic violence cases.

Self-defense argument ineffective as former Raleigh teacher is found guilty of first-degree murder

Published on: October 8, 2015 | On behalf of Arnold & Smith, PLLC

J. Bradley Smith of Arnold & Smith, PLLC answers the question “What is the difference between a misdemeanor and a felony?”

Joanna Madonna was found guilty of first-degree murder on Monday, September 28^th, in what had been a highly publicized trial in the North Carolina capital. The former Wake County schoolteacher and 48-year-old mother was sentenced to life in prison for the Father’s Day murder of her husband Jose Perez. Madonna was convicted of first-degree murder, which means the jury found that Madonna acted maliciously and with premeditation. The jury found that Madonna took her husband, who was a recovering alcoholic with serious health issues, on a drive through northern Wake County, shot and stabbed him, and left him to die in a ditch.