ARMED ROBBERY
Boston Armed Robbery Attorney / Armed Robbery Defense Lawyer Massachusetts
Armed Robbery is a very serious crime in Massachusetts. If you are facing armed robbery charges, you need a highly skilled criminal defense attorney.
In order to be convicted of armed robbery in Massachusetts, the prosecutor needs to prove each of the following elements:
- You were armed with a deadly weapon*
- You physically hurt, or threatened, the victim
- You took property or money against the victim’s will
*It is enough for the government to prove that you told the victim that you were armed, and as a result, the victim believed you. Common examples of a “dangerous weapon” include guns, knives, tire irons, baseball bats, and brass knuckles.
Potential Consequences
A conviction for armed robbery carries the potential for significant prison time. At worst, you could face life in prison. The government will take these charges very seriously – you should too. Call Boston Criminal Defense Attorney Joseph B Simons today at (781) 797-0555.
Certain variations of armed robbery include minimum mandatory sentences. For example, if you work a mask during the robbery, you face a minimum of five years (10 years for a subsequent offense) in state prison. If you are convicted of carrying a firearm during the robbery, the judge cannot sentence you to any less than five years (15 years for a subsequent offense) in state prison.
Defenses
Your attorney will need to cast doubt on the government’s case. This can be done in a number of ways, including questioning the credibility of the prosecution’s witnesses or whether you were actually armed with a weapon. If the police seized evidence illegally or forced you to make a statement, your attorney can seek to suppress that evidence (keep it out of the trial).
Another way to defend against the armed robbery charge is to challenge whether it was really you who committed the crime. When identification is an issue, the police must follow certain procedural safeguards – or the identification may be unusable at trial, thereby damaging the prosecution’s case against you. An overly suggestive lineup, for instance, might be the basis of a motion to suppress the identification.