A man was acquitted of murder last week in a downtown Los Angeles courtroom because the defendant's Los Angeles criminal defense attorney argued that that his client had only opened fire as a form of self defense. This strategy proved to be successful as the jurors decided on a not guilty verdict.
The Los Angeles Times reports that 24-year-old Aubrey Berry was facing murder charges and assault charges after he was accused of killing the up-and-coming rapper Dolla, whose real name is Roderick Anthony Burton. Jurors deliberated for less than two days before rejecting the charges.
Aubrey Berry's Los Angeles criminal defense lawyer, Howard R. Price, argued that his client shot Dolla only after the rapper had threatened to kill him in a parking garage and had reached toward his back as though he were drawing a gun. Police, however, found no weapon on Dolla. Still, the criminal defense lawyer said that it was absurd for the district attorney's to pursue this case as a murder.
"This is clearly a case of justice being done," Howard Price told the Los Angeles Times.
FindLaw states that the self-defense is a common defense strategy among criminal attorneys. It is predicated on the belief that people have a right to defend themselves from physical injury in a dangerous situation. When a person faces criminal charges, a Los Angeles criminal defense attorney will often look at the evidence of a case and then determine the best defense strategy that should be used and how to go about handling such a case.
Related Resources:
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What are my Possible Defenses? (FindLaw)
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