Fight Resulted in a Manslaughter Charge

A Meade County deputy died from a heart attack following a struggle to subdue a man.  The deputy was attempting to serve a search warrant when the defendant was seen trying to get rid of a small container.  The container was recovered and appeared to contain a substance resembling methamphetamine.  The deputy and defendant struggled during the attempted arrest.  Shortly after the man was taken into custody, the deputy experienced a medical emergency.  He later died at the hospital.  The heart attack is related to the struggle between the deputy and the man he arrested.  The fight resulted in a manslaughter charge.

Can I be Arrested if I Didn’t Intent to Kill the Attacker?

This is one of the situations in which a manslaughter charge is commonly used.  Whether it’s a bar fight, a struggle during an attempted arrest or another reason, if the person ultimately dies from the physical altercation, you may be charged.  It doesn’t matter why the altercation occurred.  You may not have intended to kill the other person.  The fact that a death occurred, means the prosecutors are going to be looking to charge someone.

Can I be Charged with Manslaughter if it Was Self-Defense?

There’s a fine line with self-defense.  It’s not as cut and dry as people might think.  You have the right to defend yourself.  If someone breaks into your home, you have the right to defend yourself, your family and your property. However, the complexity occurs when you’ve successfully defended yourself from immediate harm, but then decide to “go on offense.”  At that point, you have gone beyond self “defense.”  This topic is better suited for a separate blog article, but suffice to say, a good prosecutor can convince the grand jury that you exceeded the limit of defense and should be charged for the harm caused.  So, if you were defending yourself, and as a result the attacker died, it is possible for you to be charged with manslaughter.

I began this article explaining that the fight resulted in a manslaughter charge.  Even though the defendant was simply resisting arrest, it’s possible that the prosecutors may be able to convict the man for a much more serious crime.

If you or a loved one is involved in an altercation that results in a death, regardless of whether you feel it was unintentional, or even self-defense, you’re going to need an experienced criminal defense attorney with extensive trial experience.  I’ve had over 100 jury trials and I can tell you from experience, the prosecutors can be tough adversaries in the courtroom.  I don’t back down from a fight, but mine are typically legal in nature.