CRW
← Practice Areas
05Practice Area

Violent Crimes where the State overreaches.

Strategic defense for assault, battery, domestic violence, and weapons-related allegations.

Violent crime allegations carry the harshest sentencing in Illinois and the most aggressive prosecution. Aggravated battery, aggravated domestic battery, robbery, aggravated robbery, home invasion, and unlawful use of weapons by a felon all carry mandatory prison time on conviction, and many fall under the 85% truth-in-sentencing regime. The defense must match the stakes.

These cases frequently hinge on witness credibility, identification, and self-defense. The firm investigates independently — interviewing witnesses, securing surveillance footage, obtaining 911 audio, and retaining forensic experts where the State's narrative depends on physical evidence. Inconsistent witness accounts, prior false reports, and motive to fabricate are documented and used at trial.

Domestic battery is its own category. Charges often arise from incidents where the alleged victim recants, refuses to cooperate, or seeks to drop charges — none of which controls whether the State proceeds. Illinois prosecutes domestic battery without victim cooperation when other evidence allows. The firm defends these cases on the evidence, not on the alleged victim's preference, and protects clients from the no-contact orders and FOID consequences that follow.

Weapons charges — unlawful use of a weapon (UUW), aggravated unlawful use of a weapon (AUUW), unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon (UPWF), and armed habitual criminal — are heavily charged in St. Clair County and the Metro East. Many turn on the lawfulness of the stop and the search that produced the firearm. Where the search fails, the case fails.

Common Questions

Frequently asked.

Q01Can I claim self-defense in Illinois?
Yes. Illinois recognizes self-defense and defense of others when the force used was reasonable and the defendant believed it was necessary to prevent imminent harm. Deadly force is justified only against an imminent threat of death or great bodily harm, or to prevent a forcible felony. Self-defense is an affirmative defense; once raised, the State must disprove it beyond a reasonable doubt.
Q02What happens if the alleged victim wants to drop a domestic battery charge?
The decision belongs to the State's Attorney, not the alleged victim. Prosecutors regularly proceed on domestic battery cases over a recanting witness, using 911 audio, body-cam footage, medical records, and excited utterance exceptions. Defense strategy in these cases is built around the actual evidence and the strength of the State's case without the witness.
Q03What is the difference between battery and aggravated battery?
Simple battery is a Class A misdemeanor — knowingly causing bodily harm or insulting/provoking contact. Aggravated battery is a felony elevated by factors like great bodily harm, use of a deadly weapon, the victim's status (police officer, child, elderly person), the location (public way, school, place of worship), or strangulation. Aggravated battery is a Class 3 felony at minimum and can be Class X by enhancement.
Q04Will a felony conviction prevent me from owning a firearm?
Yes. Federal and Illinois law both prohibit firearm possession by anyone convicted of a felony, and Illinois further requires revocation of the FOID card. Restoration in Illinois is possible only by petition and is unavailable for most violent and weapons felonies. Federal restoration is even more limited.
Q05What is an order of protection and how does it affect my case?
An order of protection is a civil order entered to prevent contact with an alleged victim. In domestic violence cases an emergency order is often entered at the time of arrest and a plenary order may follow after a hearing. Violation is a separate criminal charge, and the order itself can affect housing, employment, and child custody. The firm defends order-of-protection hearings as aggressively as the underlying criminal case.
Speak With Cheryl

Charges filed? Don't wait.

The hours after an arrest are the most consequential. Call the firm directly for a confidential consultation.

(618) 520-3307Next: Juvenile Defense →
Related Results

Verdicts & outcomes.

Past results do not guarantee future outcomes — but they reflect a record of fighting cases all the way through, on facts the State expected to win.

Violent Crimes
Attempted Murder
NOT GUILTY

Took an attempted murder case to trial and secured a complete not guilty verdict from the jury.

— Jennifer Shaun's brother
Violent Crimes
Aggravated battery
Reduced to simple battery — probation

Mitigation package and witness investigation led to a reduction from aggravated to simple battery with probation.

— Confidential Client
Disclaimer: Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.