The Criminal Penalties for a Conviction on Charges of Armed Robbery are Severe
Armed robbery is an extremely serious crime, a conviction for which is sure to land you in jail for 5, 10, 20 or more years. If you have previous convictions on your record, the penalties for a conviction of armed robbery are stiffer — up to and including life in prison.
Broadly speaking, in the state of Massachusetts, a person can be charged with armed robbery if he was armed with a dangerous weapon while assaulting and robbing another person (on the street, in a store, at home, etc.) It’s not necessary to have used, or even displayed, the weapon in question, but there does have to be an implicit threat of force. Note, too, that the definition of “dangerous weapon” can be very liberal: this doesn’t necessarily apply only to knives and guns, but also to a baseball bat or brass knuckles.
Unless the perpetrator has been caught red-handed by the police in the act of robbing a store or another person—or, as is increasingly common, a video camera has captured the crime on tape–most armed robbery cases hinge on eyewitness testimony and, to a lesser degree, on forensic evidence. This can give an experienced lawyer a good amount of leeway to secure the best outcome for your case: eyewitness testimony can be notoriously unreliable, for example, and police crime labs have to follow certain procedures so as not to taint the evidence. Even the recovery of the weapon involved carries its own procedural pitfalls, which can lead to the suppression of critical evidence if police investigators make a crucial mistake.
Even if you have a previously spotless record, a conviction for armed robbery can result in serious prison time (for instance, in the state of Massachusetts, wearing a mask or disguise and/or using any type of firearm during an armed robbery dictates a five-year minimum term). That’s why it’s important to have an experienced attorney from The Law Offices of Gerald J. Noonan at your side, who (in the best cases) can cast doubt on the evidence presented by the distract attorney, or (in the worst cases) plead down the charge to secure you the lowest possible term in prison.
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Charged With Armed Robbery? Our Boston Area Felony Defense Attorneys Can Help.
Our knowledgeable and experienced Boston area armed robbery and felony crimes criminal defense law attorneys at The Law Offices of Gerald J. Noonan are available to assist clients throughout all of Massachusetts, including but not limited to Plymouth County including Brockton, Abington, Bridgewater, Whitman, Hanson, Hingham, Wareham, Halifax, Middleborough, Rockland, Lakeville, Holbrook, Avon, Kingston, Pembroke, Plympton, Pembroke, Hanover, Carver, Duxbury, Marshfield, Norwell, Hanover, Scituate, East/West Bridgewater, Rochester, Marion, Mattapoisett; Norfolk County including Quincy, Stoughton, Dedham, Weymouth, Braintree, Avon, Holbrook, Randolph, Canton, Sharon, Wrentham, Foxborough, Franklin, Walpole; Bristol County including New Bedford, Fall River, Taunton, Attleboro, Mansfield, Easton, Raynham, Norton; Cape Cod, Falmouth, Barnstable.
No matter where you are located, we are just a phone call away. Call our Massachusetts Armed Robbery Attorneys at The Law Offices of Gerald J. Noonan to schedule a free no-obligation case review and consultation at (508) 588-0422 and you will have taken your first step to find out how best to confront this important matter. You can also click here to use our Free Case Evaluation Form.