Arkansas Murder Defense Attorneys
We Understand What's At Stake
A division of Lemley DWI & Criminal Defense Lawyers
When you are charged with the most serious crime in Arkansas, you need a defense team that takes it just as seriously. We defend capital, first-degree, and second-degree murder cases statewide.
Free Confidential Consultation
Statewide Arkansas Defense
Proudly Serving: Little Rock • Fayetteville • Fort Smith • Jonesboro • Hot Springs • All 75 Arkansas Counties
Why This Firm
A Murder Charge Demands a Specialist.
Homicide prosecutions are different. The stakes are higher, the evidence is more complex, and the State commits its most experienced prosecutors. We have spent careers in Arkansas courtrooms doing one thing: defending people accused of taking a life
20+
Years Defending Arkansas
150+
Homicide Cases Handled
75
Counties Served Statewide
Practice Areas
Arkansas Homicide Charges We Defend
From capital murder to negligent homicide, every charge under Arkansas Code Title 5, Chapter 10 carries life-altering consequences. We defend them all.
Trial-Ready Defense
We prepare every case for trial from day one. Prosecutors know it — and it changes how they negotiate.
Why Arkansans Trust Us With Their Lives
Proven Courtroom Record
Two decades of jury verdicts, dismissals, and reductions in serious felony cases.
Our Advantage
Statewide Reach
We handle homicide cases across Arkansas — from Little Rock to Jonesboro and points in between.
Case Results
Outcomes That Speak For Themselves
Every case is unique and past results don't guarantee future outcomes. These are real outcomes obtained for real Arkansans.
Acquitted
Capital Murder (Pulaski Co.)
Acquitted
Negligent Homicide (DUI)
Reduced
1st Degree → Manslaughter
Reduced
Capital → Life w/ Parole
Dismissed
2nd Degree Murder (Self-Defense)
Dismissed
Manslaughter
Hung Jury
Death by Delivery of Fentanyl
Probation
Negligent Homicide
What You're Facing
Arkansas Homicide Penalties
Capital Murder
First Degree Murder
Second Degree Murder
Manslaughter
Negligent Homicide
Death by Delivery of Drugs
Death or Life Without Parole
10 – 40 years or Life (Class Y)
6 – 30 years (Class A)
5 – 20 years (Class B)
Up to 20 years (DWI) / 1 year
Up to 60 years or Life
Strategies That Work
Defenses to Murder Charges
Self-Defense / Justification
Arkansas's stand-your-ground law and castle doctrine can justify the use of deadly force.
Manslaughter
Statutory and constitutional protections for defendants with mental illness.
Mistaken Identity
Faulty eyewitness ID and bad forensics put innocent people at murder scenes every year.
Suppression of Evidence
Illegal searches, coerced confessions, and Miranda violations can gut the State's case.
Lack of Intent
Without proof of mental state, a murder charge collapses to a lesser-included offense.
Alibi
When you weren't there, we prove it — with records, witnesses, and digital evidence.
Ark. Code § 5-2-403
Charged Because of What Someone Else Did?
Under Arkansas accomplice-liability law, you can face capital or first-degree murder charges even if you never harmed anyone — simply for being present during an underlying felony. But Arkansas courts are clear: mere presence, mere knowledge, and mere association are not enough.
The State must prove you purposely aided or encouraged the offense — and shared the mental state for the crime charged. That is a defense we know how to mount.
Mere Presence
Being at the scene is not enough.
Mere Knowledge
Knowing about a crime is not aiding it.
Mere Association
Friendship is not complicity.
From The Attorney
"An accusation is not a conviction. The Constitution guarantees you a defense — we make sure that defense is worth having."
Statewide Defense
Defending Arkansans Everywhere
Little Rock
North Little Rock
Fayetteville
Springdale
Fort Smith
Jonesboro
Conway
Rogers
Bentonville
Pine Bluff
Hot Springs
Texarkana
Paragould
Sherwood
Benton
Bryant
Cabot
Mountain Home
Request Consultation
Tell Us What Happened
Every minute matters in a murder investigation. Submit your details, and a member of our team will review your information and contact you as soon as possible.
100% Confidential
Protected by attorney-client privilege from your first message.
Rapid Response
Our phones are answered day, night, weekends, and holidays.
No Obligation
Free case review with no pressure to retain.