Lawyers for Violent Stabbings in Worcester

Assault and Battery Lawyers in Middlesex and Hampden Counties

Violent deaths resulting from assaults with knives or other sharp objects are the second most common cause of death in homicide cases, second only to guns. The Worcester criminal defense attorneys at Rudolf, Smith, Griffis & Ruggieri, LLP have experience dealing with cases involving violent stabbings and can provide diligent legal defense for your case. Are you looking for assault and battery lawyers in Massachusetts? Contact our law offices today. 

Call us today at 508-570-3037 for a free consultation.

Stabbings Versus Other Violent Assaults

Stabbings represent a unique problem for law enforcement and policy makers alike because they are often committed with simple household tools, or even improvised implements. These weapons have no means of registry or tracking, and trying to create a system would be impossible. While the stricter control of firearms in Massachusetts has reduced the level of gun violence in the state, robberies and murders involving stabbing or cutting weapons have remained relatively the same.

Stabbings differ from crimes involving firearms for several reasons, including:

• Knives are far more readily available than firearms
• Knife attacks require more effort to cause harm than simply using a gun
• Knife attacks tend to be more personal in nature, literally and symbolically

Even in states where you can purchase firearms with no waiting period, it is still more convenient to simply grab a sharp knife off the counter if you have a score to settle. This explains why stabbings are statistically more likely to be considered crimes of passion. In addition, a single twitch of the finger is all it takes to kill a man with a gun, whereas a knife may require several strong thrusts or slashes before a victim is killed.

Because of this, in stabbing cases, the knife wielder generally feels a great sense of confidence in his or her ability to kill someone. The effort required also means that it is unlikely that someone could accidentally assault or kill a victim. The Worcester criminal defense lawyers at Rudolf, Smith, Griffis & Ruggieri, LLP can investigate the incident and aggressively represent you in court to seek a beneficial outcome.

Defense Strategies Used by Assault and Battery Lawyers for Stabbing Crimes

Defending a client who has been accused of any violent crime with a knife can pose unique challenges for a defense team. It is difficult to convince a jury that a knife attack was somehow unintentional, given the brutality and effort required to commit such a crime. The evidence in such cases is often visceral, which can quickly turn a jury against a defendant, even if the evidence is not sound.

Barring the possibility of an acquittal based on the mental health of the defendant, one of the primary strategies a defense team can follow is to cast doubt on the direct link between the physical evidence and the defendant. Given that most knives used in stabbing crimes are mass-produced, it is possible to cast doubt on a defendant’s guilt based on the fact that hundreds or thousands of people in their community may own the exact same knife. Our Worcester criminal defense lawyers can use a variety of legal strategies to represent your case in court.

Tenacious Criminal Defense from Assault and Battery Lawyers in Massachusetts

If a not-guilty verdict seems out of reach, a defense team can work to minimize the punishment of a conviction. In cases of both fatal and non-fatal violent stabbings, the penalties tend to be less severe than those related to guns. This excludes charges of sexual violence or violence against children, which almost universally carry the harshest possible penalties.