Lawyer for Crimes Against Life in Madrid
If you have been arrested for intentional homicide, you are accused of murder or under investigation for reckless homicide resulting in death, what you decide in the first few days shapes the whole case. Crimes against life are tried before the Jury Court in the Provincial Court of Madrid. Do not make a statement without a lawyer by your side. We take the call ourselves. 24 hours: 681 256 507.
Lawyer for crimes against life in Madrid, available 24 hours
An accusation of homicide or murder is one of the most serious things a person can face, and the defence is decided during the investigation stage, not at trial. We are criminal defense lawyers in Madrid and take charge of proceedings for homicide and murder before the Provincial Court of Madrid and, when there is a national or cross-border connection, before the National Court. We also act as private prosecution on behalf of the victim’s family. We handle your case ourselves, from start to finish.
Crimes against life we handle in Madrid
These are the three fronts on which we act in a case involving a crime against life.
When you are accused of having caused another person’s death and the classification ranges between homicide, murder, aggravated forms or injuries resulting in death. The presence or absence of intent to kill marks the dividing line and the sentence.
Reckless homicide
Homicide through gross or lesser negligence: traffic accidents resulting in death, professional healthcare negligence and other cases where the death was not intended, but was avoidable.
Private prosecution on behalf of the family
We represent the victim’s family in exercising the private prosecution when the engagement allows it. We never represent both the person under investigation and the victim in the same case.
24-hour assistance for arrests, summonses and urgent admissions
Tel. 681 256 507 · [email protected]
What we do if you are arrested for homicide or murder
If you are arrested over a violent death, what you do in the first hours shapes the whole case. Here is what we do with you from the moment you call:
We answer the phone.
We identify the police station, the reason for the arrest and the procedural situation, and we activate the defence at that moment.
We give you initial guidance.
You have the right to remain silent and not to sign anything until you have spoken with your lawyer. We explain this to you before any proceedings.
We go to the police station in person.
A partner travels to the police station or the on-duty court, in the city of Madrid or the Henares Corridor.
We speak with you in private.
In the private meeting, before you give any statement, we prepare with you your position before the investigating judge and the first court appearance.
We assist you during questioning.
Before the Judicial Police and in court, and we request alternatives to pre-trial detention when appropriate.
We provide this assistance ourselves, 24 hours a day, every day of the year. The city of Madrid, the Henares Corridor and all of Spain.
Homicide and Murder Defense Lawyer before the Jury Court in Madrid
Most homicide and murder cases are tried before the Jury Court, which works very differently from a standard trial: nine people with no legal training decide the facts, and a judge applies the law. That changes the whole strategy, from the investigation stage through to the trial itself:
- A narrative built for the jury. Before nine people deciding on the facts, you need clarity, a solid narrative, and questioning tailored to them.
- Preparing the trial. We work on the object of the verdict, the order of evidence, and the closing argument with that focus in mind.
- The available remedies. Appeal before the High Court of Justice of Madrid and cassation before the Supreme Court.
Pre-trial detention in crimes against life
Given the severity of the sentence, in these cases the duty court almost always considers pre-trial detention at the first hearing. It is not automatic: its grounds must be expressly challenged, alternative measures proposed, and your personal circumstances put forward to seek a less burdensome outcome. What is argued at that point, within the first 72 hours, shapes months of proceedings.
Manslaughter Lawyer in Madrid
Not every death amounts to intentional homicide. Manslaughter through gross negligence carries one to four years’ imprisonment, while manslaughter through less serious negligence is punished with a fine, plus disqualification where professional negligence was involved. It is a very specific area:
- Where it arises. Fatal traffic accidents, workplace accidents, and medical liability.
- Where cases are won. In the expert evidence: accident reconstruction, protocols, causal link, and degree of negligence.
- What is at stake. The line between gross negligence, less serious negligence, or no criminal negligence at all determines the outcome.
24-Hour Assistance for Arrests, Summonses and Urgent Custody Situations
Tel. 681 256 507 · [email protected]
Sentences for Homicide and Murder
The severity of the sentences makes every procedural decision irreversible:
- Intentional homicide: ten to fifteen years’ imprisonment, in its upper half where aggravating circumstances apply.
- Murder: fifteen to twenty-five years where treachery, payment or reward, cruelty, or the intent to facilitate or conceal another offence is present.
- Aggravated murder: reviewable life imprisonment.
- Manslaughter through gross negligence: one to four years, with disqualification in cases of professional negligence.
- Inducing and assisting suicide, subject to the specific rules on euthanasia.
In addition to the sentence, there may be disqualifications, a restraining order against the victim’s family, supervised release, civil liability, and costs.
Defense in Crimes Against Life Throughout the Community of Madrid
Most cases involving offences against life in Madrid are investigated by the Examining Courts of Plaza de Castilla and tried before the Provincial Court of Madrid, sitting as the Jury Court. We also handle proceedings in the judicial districts of the Henares Corridor (Alcalá de Henares, Arganda del Rey, Coslada) and, where international connections or terrorism are involved, before the National Court. Appeals are heard by the High Court of Justice of Madrid. Our office at Goya 20 is just steps away from the main courts in the city centre.
Privately appointed criminal defense lawyer instead of a duty lawyer
In a homicide or murder case, a duty lawyer covers the basic proceedings, but rarely prepares the expert evidence with the time that a case of this seriousness requires. Choosing your lawyer through private appointment means that the same firm that studies your file is the one that answers your calls, explains each step to you, and stands beside you at the hearing before the jury. No paralegal in between and no different lawyer every day: we handle your case ourselves, from start to finish.
How we handle your offences-against-life case, step by step
From the first call after an arrest to the final judgment of the Jury Court or the appeal before the High Court of Justice, we work every case with the same method. We apply it the same way in an intentional homicide as in a reckless homicide.
First contact
We attend to you directly, by phone or in person, even outside office hours. We identify the procedural situation and activate the defense. The position on pre-trial detention is built within hours.
Case analysis
We review the police report, the autopsy, the ballistic reports, the expert evidence, the witness testimony and the electronic evidence. When the case warrants it, we bring in our own expert evidence before the indictment order.
Strategy and preparation
We design the case theory and the defense brief focusing on the circumstances that qualify the murder, the exculpatory evidence, and the order of examination adapted to the jury. We prepare every milestone with you.
Defense at trial before the jury
We defend you at the hearing before the Jury Court convened at the Provincial Court of Madrid, and we appeal before the High Court of Justice of Madrid and, where applicable, file cassation appeals before the Supreme Court.
Frequently asked questions about offences against life in Madrid
Is the Jury Court always competent for homicide?
Yes. As a rule, intentional homicide and murder, including aggravated murder, are tried before the Jury Court, unless there is a connection with other offences not assigned to the jury that alters jurisdiction. We review this in your specific case at the first consultation.
Can pre-trial detention be ordered automatically?
It is not automatic, but the seriousness of the offence and the potential sentence are strong indicators for ordering it at the first court appearance. The defense must challenge the legal requirements for pre-trial detention, argue for alternative measures, and raise the personal circumstances that support a less severe measure.
What is the technical difference between homicide and murder?
That one of the circumstances that turns a homicide into murder is present: treachery, price or reward, cruelty, or commission in order to facilitate or conceal another offence. Proving or ruling out these circumstances is the core of the defense in many proceedings.
Can you defend the victim's family instead of the person under investigation?
Yes, we take on representation of victims through a private prosecution when the instructions allow it. The proceedings are always kept separate: we never represent both the person under investigation and the victim in the same case.
How long does a case involving offences against life usually last?
The investigation phase usually lasts between six and eighteen months. The trial before the Jury Court, together with its preparatory acts, adds several more months, and subsequent appeals before the High Court of Justice and the Supreme Court further extend the case. At the first consultation we will confirm the estimated timeframes.
Our office at Goya 20, Madrid
Cervantes & García-Escribano Law Firm
Book an initial assessment or call us directly. We see clients at Goya 20, by phone and by video call, with the confidentiality inherent in professional practice.
- Calle Goya 20, 1st Floor Left · 28001 Madrid
- 681 256 507 · 24 hours, every day
- [email protected]
- Monday to Friday · 9:00 AM – 7:00 PM (24/7 assistance for detainees)
Call a lawyer specializing in offences against life in Madrid
A homicide or murder charge is won or lost in the first steps: the initial statement, the expert evidence requested, and the preparation of the verdict that will be put before the jury. The sooner you call us, the more room we have to act. We assist you directly, in Madrid and throughout Spain. Call us on 681 256 507.
