A man was recently sentenced for a series of slashings that occurred in Fairfax-area shopping malls. Police say that in 2011, as many as nine women were cut with a box cutter across their respective rear ends. The attacks stopped when this man was identified as a suspect, but he fled for Peru before police could apprehend him. He was arrested in Lima, Peru and then extradited to the United States. He and his Fairfax criminal defense attorney worked out a plea deal where he plead guilty to two counts of malicious wounding and four counts of unlawful wounding and received seven years in prison.
Fairfax Criminal Defense Attorney on Malicious Wounding
Malicious wounding is a serious charge in the commonwealth of Virginia and it carries significant penalties. If the prosecution can prove that the wounding was, in fact, malicious, it is a Class 3 felony that can carry a maximum of 20 years in prison with a minimum of 5. If the wounding is just done unlawfully but without malicious intent the state can charge a person with unlawful wounding, a Class 6 felony, which carries significantly less jail time.
Malicious wounding can include any of the following types of wounds, including:
- Shooting
- Stabbing
- Cutting
Understanding the charges against you are important, and it is important to have a Fairfax criminal defense attorney who will explain the difference between malicious wounding and unlawful wounding. Because the elements are very different, the attorney must make sure the state proves the important element of intent. By hiring a defense lawyer who is thorough and tenacious, it is possible to beat these charges.
If you have been charged with malicious wounding, contact the Fairfax criminal defense attorney at The Law Office of Wilfred Ward Yeargan. With thousands of criminal and civil cases successfully resolved, he will work tirelessly to get you the best results possible.