Aggravated Robbery Texas Attorney

If you have been charged with aggravated robbery in Houston, Texas, contact attorney Mark Thiessen at 713.864.9000 or request a free case evaluation. We serve Houston and the surrounding areas and are available 24/7 to fight for you.

Charged with aggravated robbery in Texas?

If you or a loved one have been charged with aggravated robbery in Texas, and do not already have a lawyer, you need to contact an attorney as soon as possible. Aggravated robbery is a serious crime with serious consequences, and the courts that prosecute it do not have much patience for mix-ups or misunderstandings.

Due to the nature of aggravated robbery, you could be facing a long stay in prison. Robberies are often chaotic, and things can go wrong, resulting in additional charges on top of the aggravated robbery charge. 

If you’re facing aggravated robbery charges in Texas, your only shot at freedom is to stop taking risks and hire the absolute best lawyer that you can. You need Mark Thiessen. Mark Thiessen is Board Certified in Criminal Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, is passionate about justice, and has experience taking on (and winning) even the most sensitive cases.

What does aggravated robbery mean in Texas?

Texas Penal Code § 29.02 dictates that a person commits a robbery offense if “in the course of committing theft…and with intent to obtain or maintain control of the property they:

• intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly cause bodily injury to another; or 
• intentionally or knowingly threaten or place another in fear of imminent bodily injury or death.”

This offense is upgraded to aggravated robbery in Texas if they commit robbery as defined above and they:

• cause serious bodily injury to another;
• use or exhibit a deadly weapon;  or
• cause bodily injury to another person, threaten or place another person in fear of imminent bodily injury or death, if the other person is:
  • 65 years of age or older; or
  • a disabled person.

There are three main aggravating factors that can turn a robbery into an aggravated robbery: serious bodily injury (as opposed to regular bodily injury), the use of a deadly weapon, and the disability status or age of the victim.

Now, there are two things that must be pointed out about these aggravating factors. The first is that under Texas law, a deadly weapon can be anything that “in the manner of its use or intended use is capable of causing serious bodily injury or death,” so the deadly weapon could of course apply to a pistol, but could also apply to a glass vase. 

Secondly, serious bodily injury is defined as “injury that causes a permanent or protracted loss of use of a bodily member or organ,” so pushes and falls can be considered serious bodily injury — not just acts of significant and intentional violence. If you need an aggravated assault lawyer in Houston call the assault attorneys at Thiessen Law Firm, who know criminal law inside and out.

What is the minimum sentence for aggravated robbery in Texas?

What degree is aggravated robbery in Texas? Aggravated robbery is charged as a first-degree felony in Texas. If you are convicted of aggravated robbery you can expect to go away for a while. Your best shot is to not be convicted. The minimum aggravated robbery Texas sentence is five years in state prison.

Crime	Charge	Fine	Jailtime
Robbery	Second-degree felony	Up to $10,000	2 – 20 years in state prison
Aggravated Robbery	First-degree felony	Up to $10,000	5 – 99 years in state prison

That’s right. The maximum amount of jail time for an aggravated robbery charge is 99 years in state prison, which is more time than many people who are convicted of a murder charge in Texas face. If you are convicted of aggravated robbery, you could spend the rest of your life in prison. Obviously, that sounds terrible — so what can you do about it?

Beating an aggravated robbery charge

The line between simple theft and aggravated robbery can sometimes be shockingly thin. If a victim were to see a weapon that could be considered deadly on your person — even one that is not in use — in an attempted theft, that alone could turn a petty theft charge into aggravated robbery. It doesn’t take much to turn theft to aggravated robbery, and in the chaos of a robbery gone wrong, to turn aggravated robbery to murder.

Some think that self defense or other defenses might work out in their favor when a planned robbery turns deadly or violent. There is no legal way to kill someone during the commission of a robbery, even if that someone is killed accidentally or in self defense. Because robberies are motivated by material gain, murders during the commission of a robbery will be treated with extreme gravity by the courts — which means they certainly won’t qualify to be tried as crimes of passion in Texas. If someone is killed during the commission of a robbery, the party found responsible will more than likely face charges for capital murder in Texas.

Beating an aggravated robbery charge is not impossible, but it is difficult. Usually, the best defense for aggravated robbery is to get the charges reduced to robbery, theft, or assault charges. But to do that, you’ll need a good lawyer, one who knows how to beat an aggravated robbery charge in Texas, and who has a track record of winning cases for their clients.

Call the aggravated robbery Texas attorneys at Thiessen Law Firm for your best shot at freedom

Aggravated robbery in Texas is a serious crime that comes with devastating consequences. Whatever the circumstances, the courts will do whatever is necessary to make you guilty. You need to hire someone that will do whatever is necessary to defend your freedom. Mark Thiessen and his team of experienced criminal defense lawyers are your best shot at freedom. Don’t waste that shot by hiring just any attorney.