Projects, Units & Initiatives

Homicide Defense Task Force

A homicide charge is the most serious accusation a person can face, and the first hours matter. Every year, The Legal Aid Society’s Homicide Defense Task Force (HDTF) represents more than 200 people charged with homicide across New York City. From the moment we are assigned, our clients have an experienced defense team standing beside them.

From the very beginning of every case, HDTF brings together trial attorneys, investigators, mitigation specialists, and paralegal case handlers. Every client gets this team, on every case. This approach allows us to investigate immediately, preserve critical evidence, understand our clients’ circumstances, and begin building a defense when it matters most.

Our Work

Presumed Innocent

Our clients are presumed innocent, and they should not have to spend years in jail waiting for their day in court.

HDTF has been at the forefront of bail advocacy in homicide cases, challenging the assumption that a homicide charge should automatically result in pretrial incarceration. We fight for our clients to return home to their families, continue their education or employment, and remain active participants in their own defense.

Securing a client’s release can also transform our ability to prepare a case for trial. Clients who are home can meet more freely with their attorneys, assist in investigating the allegations, and participate fully in decisions that will shape their futures.

Telling the Whole Story

No case is just a collection of facts, and no client should ever be defined solely by an accusation.

Our attorneys work with leading experts in forensic science, medicine, psychology, and other specialized fields to investigate the evidence, challenge unsupported conclusions, and ensure that judges and juries understand the full circumstances of each case.

HDTF also draws on the broader resources of Legal Aid, including our nationally recognized DNA and Forensics Units, immigration specialists, community justice advocates, and media relations team. These partnerships allow us to address not only the criminal allegations but also the consequences a prosecution can have on a client’s family, immigration status, and future, including when a case becomes headline news.

Defending Young People

HDTF also represents children and teenagers charged with murder. Young people facing these allegations need advocates who understand adolescent development, recognize their potential for growth, and appreciate the importance of family, education, and community. We work closely with young clients and their families, fighting for their wellbeing and their futures both inside and outside the courtroom.

Experience Matters

HDTF attorneys are selected through a rigorous homicide-certification process involving the Task Force’s leadership, the Attorneys-in-Charge of Legal Aid’s five borough offices, and senior trial attorneys. Our clients are represented by lawyers with proven trial skills and the judgment to handle some of the most challenging criminal cases in New York City.

Our Impact

Since homicide trials resumed in 2022 after pandemic-related shutdowns, the Homicide Defense Task Force has won acquittals on murder charges in more than 25 homicide trials across New York City. Our team of attorneys, investigators, mitigation specialists, and litigation specialists has resolved more than 90% of all our cases before trial without a life sentence. That includes at least 50 cases in which clients facing life imprisonment received sentences of less than 12 years.

Our advocacy begins long before trial. In a system where people charged with murder are routinely held without bail, we have won bail for more than 100 clients, some of whom came home on electronic monitoring or other conditions they could meet. Our pretrial litigation has also led to the outright dismissal of murder indictments against 10 clients.

No two cases are alike, but behind every one of these outcomes is a person, often a young person, whose life and future were at stake. Our commitment is simple: every client, regardless of means, deserves the highest quality and most zealous defense we can give.

Contact

When someone is arrested and charged with homicide, families often have urgent questions and little information about what happens next. We understand how frightening and overwhelming those first days can be.

If your family member or loved one has been arrested on a homicide charge in New York City, please email Legal Aid’s Homicide Defense Task Force. We’re here to answer your questions and help you understand what comes next.