Rizio and Nelson California Law Blog

Violent Crimes

There are three major types of violent crimes in California: Homicide, Robbery, and Assault. Homicide is, of course, murder of another human being. First or Second degree murder convictions result in life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. Robbery is theft combined with physical force. Assault is when one person threatens to harm or does physical harm to another person. Depending on the...

January Violent Crimes, in the News

LA Now reported on on January 5 about a story that left an 18 year old hospitalized with gunshot wounds. He claimed that two men shot him from a passing car. He wasn’t especially cooperating with the police making it impossible to tell if he had in fact been able to identify the shooter or the passenger in the vehicle. On the same day, a school bus had some windows shot out by someone with a...

Felony Sentencing

Felonies are usually punished under a determinate sentencing program. This provides three potential state prison terms: low, middle, and high term. The middle term is generally the appropriate sentence, unless the court states a finding in open court that justifies the higher or lower term accordingly. Cases involving a felony, but not provided with a specific sentencing range, can be punishable by...