Q:  I think I am about to be charged with an Oklahoma felony.  How soon should I hire a criminal defense attorney to defend me?

A:  You should hire an Oklahoma criminal defense attorney at the earliest possible moment.  The sooner you hire an Oklahoma defense attorney, the better it is for you as a defendant and the better your chances of avoiding a felony conviction.  The most critical stage of a criminal investigation is the first few hours after the occurrence of the crime.  The police are processing the crime scene (if there is one), developing leads, and are likely focusing their investigation on the individual or individuals whom they believe committed the crime.  The police may claim that they have not yet made a decision about whom to arrest and that they are still developing leads.  Do not talk to the police or attempt to explain anything.  If the police have settled on you as a suspect or person of interest the best thing you can do is exercise your Fifth Amendment right to remain silent.  If a suspect is placed under arrest and questioned, the police are required to read Miranda warnings.  However, the police try to postpone placing someone under arrest until after that person has made enough incriminating statements to justify an arrest.  Do not let your own words be the strongest evidence against you.  If you or a loved one is the individual upon whom the police have decided to focus their investigation, you need to contact one of our Oklahoma defense attorneys now. 

The best example of how the police focus on suspects early in an investigation is when the Boulder, Colorado police department focused on John and Patsy Ramsey as the prime suspects in the murder of their daughter, JonBenet.  Breakthroughs in DNA technology recently exonerated both John and Patsy (now deceased), but not before the false accusations hovered over them for more than a decade and destroyed what was left of their lives.  The Ramsey case is just one of many unfortunate examples where police scrutiny was directed at the wrong individuals and the early intervention of a criminal defense attorney could have produced dramatically different results for the Ramsey family.

Under investigation? Contact an Oklahoma defense attorney today!