Christmas Eve reported stabbing leads to domestic violence charge
On Dec. 24, authorities in Alabama took a man into custody after he was accused of stabbing another man during an apparent domestic altercation. The man was identified as a 43-year-old Mobile resident.
The man was taken to the Mobile County Metro Jail at approximately 1:10 p.m, and he remained in jail on Dec. 26. He was ultimately charged with one count of first degree domestic violence. If he is convicted, he could face a minimum prison sentence of one year with a maximum prison sentence of 99 years. Sources indicated that, since 1992, the man had been to Mobile County Jail a total of 27 times and pleaded guilty to one count of second degree unlawful imprisonment in 1993.
When someone is accused of a violent domestic abuse charge, there are several different defense strategies that an attorney may use to defend their client, depending on the circumstances. For example, if the person has an alibi proving that they were somewhere else when the alleged crime occurred, an attorney may argue that their client was not involved in the incident. They may provide evidence that demonstrates there is reasonable doubt that the person was involved in the alleged attack.
There are other defenses that a person can use if the prosecution has evidence that the accused person was, in fact, involved in the alleged attack. In most cases, the defense attorney may claim that their client injured the other person while trying to defend themselves. Additionally, a defendant may also claim that they were involved in the alleged altercation while under the influence of drugs, which affected their mental state. However, this may only allow a person to seek a reduction in the severity of the charges brought against them.
Source: Findlaw, Defending Yourself Against a Criminal Charge, 12/28/2014
Source: AL.com, “Mobile man arrested on Christmas Eve, accused of stabbing man during domestic confrontation“, Theresa Seiger, December 26, 2014