Intoxication Manslaughter

Houston intoxication manslaughter lawyer 

Searching for a Houston intoxication manslaughter lawyer? Odds are, you need to make some tough decisions very quickly. Know that as you read this, the prosecutor is working with law enforcement to build their case against you or your loved one.

What other intoxication manslaughter lawyers won’t tell you

Choose an intoxication manslaughter attorney in Houston carefully. Did you know very few Houston DWI lawyers have successfully tried Houston intoxication manslaughter cases? Don’t be fooled by loud billboards or glossy commercials. We’ve actually won cases.

Sure, there are tons of attorneys out there who know the law and practice it, but it takes a special kind of defense attorney to actually WIN a case in the District Court. The simple fact is that not every Houston attorney knows how to beat a DWI, much less Houston intoxication manslaughter charges.

What is intoxication manslaughter?

Intoxication manslaughter in Texas is “the charge a person receives for causing a fatal motor vehicle accident while driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of the crash.” Put simply, intoxication manslaughter in Houston is a severe charge with harsh penalties. (Further reading: Tex. Penal Code Ann. § 49.08)

Do not confuse these charges with vehicular manslaughter or intoxication assault. Vehicular manslaughter is, “When a person causes the death of another human as a result of reckless or negligent driving behavior” while intoxication assault is, “Operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated when another person suffers serious bodily injury as a result of such intoxication” (Also see: What is intoxication assault in Texas?)

A typical vehicular manslaughter attorney in Houston may not be able to handle the complexities of intoxication manslaughter. Vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated in Houston requires the top specialist Houston DWI lawyer you can find.

How to choose a Houston intoxication manslaughter lawyer

Do your search carefully, yet quickly. Does this attorney have a track record of beating charges of intoxication manslaughter in Houston or Texas? While intoxication manslaughter cases do not occur often, the Thiessen Law Firm has successfully tried intoxication manslaughter cases just like yours.

At the risk of sounding blunt, you’ll be hard-pressed to find other victories for intoxication manslaughter cases in Houston from other attorneys. Here some victories from our intoxication manslaughter team in Houston:

• Not Guilty, Quadruple Intoxicated Manslaughter
• Not Guilty, Intoxicated Manslaughter
• Dismissed, Intoxicated Manslaughter
• Not Guilty, Intoxicated Manslaughter

Additionally, look for an attorney who has obtained the specialization and expertise necessary to defend such complex charges. Firm founder Mark Thiessen is Board Certified in DWI Defense by the National College for DUI Defense.

Fighting Houston intoxicated manslaughter charges

Those accused of intoxication manslaughter often feel as if they were convicted the second they were accused, but this simply isn’t true. Like anyone accused of a crime, those accused of intoxication manslaughter are still innocent until proven guilty.

Proving intoxication

One of the most important factors of proving guilt in an intoxication manslaughter charge is establishing that the accused was legally intoxicated at the time of the fatal accident. Title 10, chapter 49 of the Texas Penal Code defines the state of intoxication as occurring when a person does not have “the normal use of mental or physical faculties by reason of the introduction of alcohol, a controlled substance, a drug, a dangerous drug, a combination of two or more of those substances, or any other substance into the body,” or when they have an alcohol concentration of 0.08 or more.

Just because you were involved in a fatal accident and are accused of being intoxicated at the time does not mean available evidence can support those claims. All existing options for determining intoxication come with significant room for error — breath tests are notoriously unreliable, blood tests can be compromised by bad lab work, and field sobriety tests are often highly questionable. As a Forensic Lawyer-Scientist, Mark Thiesen possesses the necessary scientific knowledge to effectively challenge any bad evidence of intoxication in an intoxication manslaughter case.

Choosing the right attorney

Why does selecting the best Houston intoxication manslaughter attorney matter so much? In Texas, a first-conviction DWI charge alone can put you $2,000 in the hole and take away your driver’s license for up to one year. Meaning if you are being accused of intoxication manslaughter, you had better get a strong team to stand behind you — one that will fight for you and your freedom.

Board Certified in Criminal Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization and Board Certified in DWI Defense by the National College for DUI Defense, Mark Thiessen possesses the unique expertise necessary to defend those accused of intoxicated manslaughter; something he has done successfully numerous times. 

Further, if you’ve been charged with intoxication manslaughter in Houston you need to know what the stakes are here. Intoxication manslaughter charges are taken much more seriously — and rightfully so.

Penalties for a Houston intoxication manslaughter sentence

A common question we hear is, “What is the penalty for intoxication manslaughter in Houston?” It’s a false question – you won’t be facing just one penalty. 

In fact, if you’re looking at other Houston intoxication manslaughter lawyers, the better question may be, “How many years do you get for intoxication manslaughter?”

The possibility of a Houston jail sentence for DWI intoxication manslaughter is much higher with the many other intoxication manslaughter attorneys in Houston. That’s simply because very few can say they’ve won a case.

In Texas, intoxicated manslaughter charges are classified as second-degree felonies. That means defendants can be charged with the following:

• Fines that reach up to $10,000
• Prison sentences that range between 2 and 20 years
• 240 hours of community service with room for an additional 800 hours at the state’s discretion

If the penalties listed above weren’t enough, other factors can quickly snowball against you. For example, facing a DWI second offense in Texas, or already being on DWI probation in Texas could quickly bring enhanced charges against you. In fact, there are some legislators that are pushing to make life in prison a potential penalty for intoxication manslaughter in Texas.

Assemble your intoxication manslaughter defense team

There are two crucial characteristics that set us apart from other Houston intoxication manslaughter lawyers. First, Mark Thiessen is one of the only defense attorneys that has the title of a lawyer-scientist and is Board Certified in DWI Defense by the National College for DUI Defense.

That means he is not only trained extensively in a court of law, but also in scientific approaches to examining—and finding scientific flaws-—in evidence. It’s no secret that the technologies that law enforcement is using to convict people with DWI and intoxication manslaughter charges are outdated and faulty at best.

Mark has extensive training in scientific approaches that have won some of Houston’s most famous intoxication manslaughter defense cases, including a case that acquitted not one, not two, not three, but FOUR counts of intoxicated manslaughter. 

Additionally, Mark Thiessen is Board Certified in DWI Defense by the National College for DUI Defense.

So what’s next? If you find yourself in a bind and are being accused of intoxicated manslaughter, you know what to do. Contact our proven intoxication manslaughter attorneys in Houston for a free consultation, or pick up the phone, day or night, and call 713-864-9000 We’ll start fighting for your freedom and reputation immediately.