Areas of Practice

The New Hampshire Criminal Code recognizes a number of homicide offenses, ranging from negligent homicide to capital murder. Negligent homicide and manslaughter charges are frequently prosecuted in DUI-related homicides, certain overdose deaths, and other unintended acts resulting in another’s death.  Murder charges often involve allegations of death resulting from some other unlawful conduct (such as a robbery or assault) or a premeditated plan to harm or kill another person.

In general, homicides can be summarized as follows:

• Negligent Homicide – negligently causing another’s death, such as when the death is caused by a motor vehicle operated by a person who is under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
• Manslaughter – recklessly causing another’s death. This is crime would be murder, except that the person charged was provoked by an extreme mental or emotional disturbance.
• Attempted Murder – acting with a purpose to cause another’s death, a person does something which is a substantial step toward causing that death.
• Second Degree Murder – knowingly or recklessly causing the death of another person.
• First Degree Murder – purposely causing the death of another person, or knowingly causing the death of another in the course of commit another specified crime, such as arson, sexual assault, or armed robbery.
• Capital Murder – knowingly causing the death of another person, when certain other aggravating factors are also met.

If you have been contacted by law enforcement about a homicide investigation or are facing criminal charges related to the death of another person, call 603-775-7570 to speak to one of our experienced attorneys.