An 18-year-old man told detectives he accidentally shot his 17-year-old friend to death at a San Pedro house, police said today.
Joseph Michael Hecker was arrested on suspicion of murder after the Tuesday afternoon shooting of 17 year old Dale Soto in the 900 block of West Basin Street.
Hecker claims that the shooting was an accident.
According to police reports, Soto came over to Hecker's house around 3 p.m. on Tuesday May 24, 2011 and Hecker opened the door with a shotgun and fired.
Soto died at a hospital.
Hecker and Soto were friends. There was no indication the shooting was part of a bigger crime or gang-related.
Hecker is in custody at the Los Angeles Police Department jail and on $1 million bail.
A case like this can be devastating and can turn someone's life upside down.
Murder charges are the most serious charges and can result in a life sentence.
Justified or accidental, killings are considered homicide.
A killing is considered an accident if there was no criminal intent to harm; if the defendant did not act negligently; if the defendant was not otherwise engaged in unlawful activity at the time of the killing.
If all these 3 elements are met, then accident serves as a valid legal defense in California to a murder charge.
If your or someone you know has been charged with murder and your life is on the line, it is essential that you hire
federal criminal defense attorney to help you get your life under control.
There are legal defenses to murder to be argued and the difference can be a decade of prison time.
At Hedding Law Firm, our
murder defense attorneys have handled countless
murder cases over the years of practicing criminal defense in Los Angeles County.
Let' s meet and discuss what is necessary to be successful. We stand at the ready to help you.
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