Malicious Wounding
A wounding charge indicates that you have seriously injured another person, either deliberately or unintentionally. The Commonwealth of Virginia ranks the malicious wounding of another as the next top priority after the taking of a life. Malicious wounding is essentially a heightened form of assault and battery.
In order to secure a conviction for aggravated malicious wounding in Virginia, the government must prove that:
- the defendant shot, stabbed, cut, wounded, or caused bodily injury to another person,
- the defendant intended to maim, disfigure, disable or kill the other person at the time he committed the act,
- the act was done with malice.
How this crime is charged depends to a great deal on how severely wounded the other party was. Are his or her injuries permanent? Are the injuries disfiguring? These and other factors will determine how you are charged and what penalties you are most likely to face.Malicious wounding is always a serious charge and it can carry very lengthy prison sentences. If you are facing a malicious wounding charge, you need to protect yourself by securing the representation of an attorney with the knowledge and skills necessary to truly help you.