Morristown Attorney for Terroristic Threats - N.J.S. 2C:12-3

Criminal Defense Lawyer in Morris County, New Jersey

When people are accused of making threats against other people, those individuals can end up facing can criminal charges. New Jersey law has two different definitions of terroristic threats, as defined under the New Jersey Code of Criminal Justice §2C:12-3. The first definition involves making threats to commit any violent crime with the intention of terrorizing another person or with the intention of causing an evacuation at certain types of locations. These locations include places of assembly, buildings and locations of public transportation. This offense is considered a crime in the third degree (punishable by three to five years of imprisonment); however, it can be raised to a crime in the second degree (punishable by five to ten years of imprisonment) if the terroristic threats occur during a time of county, state or national emergency.

The second definition of making terroristic threats involves threatening to kill another person with the intention of getting the victim to actually fear for his or her life. In order for these charges to hold up in court, a certain level of immediacy must be shown—the victim must have actually believed in that moment that he or she was about to be killed and that the offender was capable of carrying out the threat. This is categorized as a crime of the third degree.

Why Hire a Morristown Criminal Defense Lawyer?

Death threats and threats of terrorism are not taken lightly, especially in the post-9/11 era. If you have been accused of making terroristic threats, you have no time to lose in finding a competent defense lawyer to represent you. Even if you know that the allegations against you are baseless, prosecutors can still find a way to make you look guilty. At The Law Offices of Christopher G. Porreca, P.C., I can help you fight conviction. If a conviction is inevitable, it may be possible to get your charges reduced or to obtain less severe sentencing.

A few possible defenses include showing that there is a lack of proof that you ever made any threats, or showing that the claims you made do not meet the requirements of terroristic threats. For example, you might have made a threat to kill someone in a way that was obviously not meant to be taken seriously and in a way that any reasonable person would not have been threatened by. There are many people who make exaggerated or false allegations against others as forms of retaliation when the two parties are undergoing some type of dispute. Related charges such as harassment can also arise from the same conduct.