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Concord Arson Defense Attorney

Arson, also called burning a dwelling house, is a serious crime that carries the possibility of a state prison sentence, with a maximum penalty of twenty years.  Concord arson defense attorney Chris Spring is ready to defend you if you have been charged with such crimes. Call (617) 513-9444 to speak with Attorney Spring today.

Elements of Arson

In order to convict a defendant of arson, the Commonwealth must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that:

  1. The defendant set fire to, burned, or caused a building to be burned;
  2. The building was a dwelling house, a building adjoining or adjacent to a dwelling house, or a building whose burning resulted in a dwelling house being burned; and
  3. The defendant acted maliciously and willfully.

A defendant can also be convicted for intentionally aiding the burning of a dwelling house. A dwelling house is any place where people live. Dwelling houses include tenement buildings, boarding houses, dormitories, hospitals, hotels, duplexes, apartments, and single-family homes.

Because arson cases require that the defendant acted maliciously in burning the building, the defendant typically faces additional crimes such as civil rights violations or intimidation of a witness.

Common Defenses and Defense Strategies

Arson cases can be defended in a variety of ways.

  • Accident – The Commonwealth must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant willfully and maliciously burned a building. An “accident” is any event that was unintentional – an event that was not planned by the defendant.
  • Proof of negligence is not sufficient to prove a defendant guilty of arson. If a defendant causes a building to be burned by lack of due care, he or she cannot be found guilty of arson.
  • Absence of motive – Nobody is going to burn a building without a compelling reason for doing so. While it’s not legally required, the jury will want the Commonwealth to establish the defendant’s motive for committing the crime. The absence of motive is a defense in and of itself.
  • There must be some evidence of actual burning. An attempt to burn a building without actual burning is not sufficient to prove arson.

These cases usually involve extensive investigations by the police and fire departments. Determining the cause of a fire involves analysis by experts who consider a variety of factors including the presence of accelerants, burn patterns, and the origin of the fire. To rebut the Commonwealth’s expert witness, defendants charged with arson often hire their own experts to analyze the crime scene and offer their own opinions about the cause of the fire.

Our Arson Defense Lawyers in Concord Will Represent You

Prosecutors and judges typically take arson cases seriously because of their potential to cause people to be seriously injured (even if there were no victims in the case being prosecuted).  They are often highly technical cases that necessitate expert witness testimony.  Attorney Chris Spring’s career, both as an assistant district attorney and a defense lawyer, has given him the experience to aggressively defend arson cases.  If you are charged with arson, you should contact Concord arson lawyer Chris Spring and schedule a free consultation.  Attorney Spring has the necessary experience to guide you through the criminal justice system and present your side of the story to a jury regardless of whether you were accused of disorderly conduct or perjury. As with any crime, you should never speak to the police before first consulting with a Middlesex County criminal defense attorney to explore all of your options.