Violent Cases

In Georgia, a felony is any crime that carries the possibility of a sentence greater than one year in prison. Violent felonies—those involving physical harm and even death to a victim—expose an accused person to sentences of many years of incarceration, all the way up to life in prison without the possibility of parole and, in some cases, even the death penalty.

Facing the prospect of such a heavy sentence, the accused and his or her family need experienced, intelligent, and thorough representation by the best criminal defense lawyers for their type of case. Franklin J. Hogue and Laura D. Hogue have represented scores of people in these most serious felony cases, including murder, manslaughter, armed robbery, aggravated assault, aggravated battery, kidnapping, aggravated stalking, cruelty to children, and sexual crimes, including rape, sexual battery, child molestation, and child pornography, and many more. Their associate, J. Travis Griffin, assists them in these cases, giving their clients the benefit of a team approach with multiple lawyers and experienced support staff.

The most serious of the violent felonies, often referred to as Georgia’s “Seven Deadly Sins,” carry the harshest sentences and, in some cases, do not allow for early release on parole. Those seven crimes are:

(1) Murder (life with parole possible after 30 years, life without parole, or the death penalty)

(2) Rape (life with parole possible after 30 years, life without parole, the death penalty, or a split sentence of a minimum of 25 years without parole and probation for life)

(3) Kidnapping (if victim is 14 years old or more, then mandatory 10 years up to 20 in prison; if victim is under 14 years old, then life in prison or a split sentence of 25 years without parole and probation for life; if ransom or bodily injury to the victim, then life imprisonment or the death penalty).

(4) Armed Robbery (mandatory minimum 10 years in prison without parole, up to 20 years, life in prison, or the death penalty)

(5) Aggravated Sodomy (life in prison or split sentence of minimum 25 years in prison without parole and probation for life)

(6) Aggravated Sexual Battery (life in prison or split sentence of minimum 25 years in prison without parole and probation for life)

(7) Aggravated Child Molestation (life in prison or split sentence of minimum 25 years in prison without parole and probation for life)

The law firm has handled these serious cases throughout Middle Georgia and beyond, having defended citizens accused of murder and other violent felonies in the Macon, Warner Robins, Perry, Gray, Milledgeville, Cochran, Eastman, Jeffersonville, Forsyth, Jackson, Hawkinsville, Fort Valley, Dublin, Cordele, Griffin, McDonough, Fayetteville, Columbus, Athens, Albany, and Valdosta areas.

Frank, Laura, and Travis have represented defendants in eight death penalty cases in Bibb, Houston, Dooly, Putnam, Henry, and Telfair Counties. None of the clients in these capital cases received the death penalty.”

The law firm has handled over 100 murder cases since it began in 1991 in Bibb, Jones, Crawford, Peach, Monroe, Houston, Baldwin, Putnam, Taylor, Dooly, Dodge, Ben Hill, Dougherty, Henry, Spalding, Laurens, and Randolph Counties. Only ten of these non-death-penalty murder cases ended in convictions for murder.