Attorney Who Defends Involuntary Manslaughter Charges In Los Angeles

Robert M. Helfend is a Los Angeles criminal defense attorney with more than forty years of experience defending clients accused of homicide-related offenses, including involuntary manslaughter. He has practiced exclusively in criminal defense since 1984, handled over 4,000 criminal cases, and completed nearly one hundred felony jury trials. When a death occurs and prosecutors claim “criminal negligence,” his work focuses on what the evidence actually proves about conduct, causation, and state of mind.

Involuntary manslaughter cases often arise from tragedies, not plans. The state’s theory is usually: something unsafe happened, someone died, and the person involved should be treated like a felon. A strong defense is about forcing the prosecution to prove every required element, not letting assumptions do the work.

What Involuntary Manslaughter Means In California

Involuntary manslaughter is a form of unlawful killing without malice. It is commonly tied to either a non-felony unlawful act, or a lawful act done in an unlawful way or without due caution and circumspection. California’s manslaughter statute also makes clear that this involuntary-manslaughter provision does not apply to acts committed while driving a vehicle.

If the death occurred in connection with driving, prosecutors typically look at vehicular manslaughter or DUI-related homicide statutes instead, depending on the facts.

What Prosecutors Have To Prove

In a basic involuntary manslaughter prosecution, the People generally must prove three building blocks:

• A crime was committed, or a lawful act was performed in an unlawful manner
• The act was committed with criminal negligence
• The act caused another person’s death

Most real-world defense work concentrates on the second and third points: criminal negligence and causation.

Where These Cases Commonly Come From

Involuntary manslaughter allegations can stem from many scenarios, including:

• Accidental shootings or unsafe firearm handling
• Fights where one person falls, hits their head, or suffers an unforeseen fatal injury
• Drug-related deaths where prosecutors claim the conduct created a lethal risk
• Workplace or construction incidents with alleged safety shortcuts
• Caregiver or household situations where prosecutors claim a legal duty was ignored

The common thread is not intent to kill. The common thread is the state claiming the conduct was so unreasonable that it crossed into criminal negligence.

The Difference Between A Tragic Accident And “Criminal Negligence”

A lot of involuntary manslaughter cases are really disputes about labeling.

Prosecutors may describe conduct as reckless to make it sound like malice. The defense often reframes the same conduct as:

• A mistake without criminal-level blameworthiness
• A situation with unclear risk at the time
• A chain of events where someone else’s choices played a major role
• A death that was not a foreseeable outcome of what happened

In other words: not every fatal outcome equals a felony homicide.

How Robert M. Helfend Attacks Involuntary Manslaughter Cases

These cases are usually won through disciplined fact work. Helfend’s approach is built to expose gaps early and keep the case trial-ready.

Lock Down The Timeline Early

He identifies what can still be preserved and what may vanish quickly, such as:

• Video footage
• 911 audio and dispatch records
• Scene photos and measurements
• Phone data, messages, and location signals that establish sequence

Pressure-Test “Criminal Negligence”

He digs into what the prosecution is calling negligence and asks:

• What was the actual risk, in real time, not in hindsight?
• What would a reasonable person have understood in that moment?
• Was there training, warning, or notice that the state is assuming existed?
• Is the government relying on a shortcut explanation instead of proof?

Fight The Causation Theory

Even if something unsafe happened, the prosecution still must connect it to the death in a legally meaningful way. The defense often focuses on:

• Intervening events
• Medical causation disputes
• Preexisting conditions or alternative explanations
• Whether the state can prove the act was a substantial factor in the outcome

Challenge Statements And Interview Dynamics

Many involuntary manslaughter cases get harder because someone tries to be cooperative, then gets boxed in by a poor summary of what they said. Helfend evaluates:

• What was recorded versus paraphrased
• Whether questioning was leading or confrontational
• Whether the client’s words are being stretched into admissions of negligence

Outcomes That A Strong Defense Tries To Create

Depending on the evidence, the defense goal may be:

• No filing at all at the pre-charging stage
• Dismissal or reduction because the elements cannot be proved
• A resolution that avoids the worst custody exposure and collateral fallout
• Trial, when the facts support an acquittal

These are not “one-size-fits-all” cases. Strategy should match the evidence, the venue, and the client’s real risk.

Immediate Steps If A Death Occurred And You’re Being Blamed

If police have contacted you, served papers, seized devices, or suggested you may be charged:

• Do not give a detailed statement without a lawyer present
• Do not try to “clean up” messages, photos, or records
• Write down your timeline privately while details are fresh
• Preserve anything that helps establish sequence and context (texts, call logs, names of witnesses)
• Gather paperwork: property receipts, warrants, court notices, and bail information

Call the Helfend Law Group at (800) 834-6434 or (310) 456-3317.