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Attempted First Degree Murder

Late last night in downtown Orlando, a man was charged with attempted first degree murder with a deadly weapon. The man is accused of stabbing a victim, by cutting the victim’s throat. The victim was taken to the hospital and is expected to make a full recovery, while the suspect was caught by the police not too long after the attack.

Needless to say, this man has a long road ahead of him, legally speaking. His defense attorney has a few options when it comes to handling an “attempted first degree murder charge”. They can claim that his violent act was excusable because he feared that his life was in danger. With an “attempted murder”, because it is a failed/aborted attempt to murder another human being, the prosecution must prove that the attempted murder consisted of both an action and an intention to kill. Did the defendant take a direct step towards the killing of another person and was intent on killing that person?

In this case, what if the man who cut the victim was actually the victim of an attack? Perhaps he was defending himself from harm? The defense can throw out all different kinds of scenarios until the prosecution can prove that the defendant 100% planned on killing the alleged victim. More facts about this case are bound to come out, but until then his lawyer must stress that his client is innocent until proven guilty. 

Convicted offenders of attempted first degree murder in FL can spend up to at least 10 years in prison. So this will be a case worth keeping an eye on. 

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