By Heath Hyde, P.C. | Sulphur Springs, TX | April 2026
The Murder Defense Attorney East Texas and Hopkins County Families Call When Everything Is on the Line
By Heath Hyde, P.C. | Sulphur Springs, TX | April 2026
If Someone You Love Has Just Been Charged With Murder in Hopkins County or East Texas
Stop reading. Call me right now at 903.439.0000. The next 24 hours matter more than any other window in this case. I answer day and night. Read this after you have made that call.
I have been trying murder cases in Texas courtrooms for thirty years. I have sat across from families in the worst moments of their lives — people who got a call in the middle of the night, who drove to a jail they had never been inside, who were trying to understand how something like this had happened to their son, their brother, their husband. I know what that conversation feels like from both sides of the desk, and I want to be direct with you about what this situation actually means and what can still be done.
I am Heath Hyde. My office is in Sulphur Springs, Texas, twenty minutes from the Hopkins County Courthouse. I have personally handled more than 150 murder cases — not as co-counsel, not in a supervisory role, but as lead defense attorney tried to verdict or resolution. No other criminal defense attorney in Sulphur Springs, Hopkins County, or East Texas comes close to that number. It is the number that defines what I do and why families in this part of Texas call me when the charge is murder.
A murder charge is not like other criminal charges. The consequences if convicted — life in prison, in capital cases potentially death — are absolute. The prosecution brings their full resources to bear. And the decisions made in the days and weeks immediately after an arrest can determine everything about how the case ends. This is not the situation where you figure out the lawyer question later. The lawyer question is the first one.
Free Consultation — 24 Hours a Day, 7 Days a Week
Call 903.439.0000 or email Heath@HeathHydeLawyer.com. You will speak with me directly. Tell me what happened. I will tell you honestly what it means and what the realistic options look like. That conversation costs you nothing.
Why Hopkins County and East Texas Families Call Heath Hyde First
■ 150+ Murder Cases Personally Handled — More Than Any Attorney in East Texas
■ 400+ State and Federal Jury Trials Completed — 90% Overall Success Rate
■ Top 100 Trial Lawyers in the United States — National Trial Lawyers
■ Best of Hopkins County 2025 — Recognized by the Community I Serve
■ 10+ Years as Dallas County Assistant District Attorney — Prosecution Strategy Mastered
■ Capital Murder Defense — Multiple Cases to Verdict Across Texas
■ Principal Office: 214 Connally Street Suite A, Sulphur Springs, TX 75482
■ 24/7 Availability — Because Murder Cases Don’t Wait for Business Hours
What 150 Murder Cases Actually Looks Like
People hear that number and they sometimes ask me to put it in context. So here is the context: most criminal defense attorneys in Northeast Texas handle fewer than twenty murder cases in their entire career. A few handle forty or fifty. My record stands at more than one hundred and fifty, built over thirty years of showing up in Texas courtrooms for clients who needed someone who had actually done this before.
The reason that number matters is not the number itself. It is what the number represents in terms of accumulated knowledge. I have seen how forensic evidence in a Texas homicide investigation gets gathered, how it gets processed, where it gets contaminated. I have cross-examined medical examiners, ballistics experts, blood spatter analysts, cell phone data witnesses, and surveillance footage authenticators — hundreds of times. I know where their methodologies are sound and where they are not. I know the questions that make a prosecution’s expert witness less certain than they walked in looking. I know which parts of the state’s murder narrative are usually built on assumptions and which are built on genuine evidence.
Every one of those 150 cases taught me something. And every one of those lessons is what I bring to bear when I walk into the Hopkins County Courthouse on behalf of a client charged with murder or a violent crime in Sulphur Springs or anywhere in East Texas.
“The prosecution in a murder case spends months building their story before an arrest is ever made. My job is to spend the next months finding every place that story has a crack in it — and there is almost always at least one. You just have to know where to look.”
How a Murder Case Actually Moves Through the Hopkins County Court System
Most families I talk to in those first hours have no idea what is about to happen procedurally. Understanding the process does not change the emotional weight of it, but it helps people make better decisions — and better decisions in the early stages of a murder case make an enormous difference.
The Arrest and the Hopkins County Jail
Hopkins County Jail: 298 Rosemont Street, Sulphur Springs, TX 75482
Jail Direct Line: (903) 438-4040
Sheriff Lewis Tatum: Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office, (903) 438-4006
Courthouse Address: 118 Church Street, Sulphur Springs, TX 75482
8th Judicial District Court: Primary felony criminal court for Hopkins County
After a murder arrest in Hopkins County, the defendant is booked into the county jail at 298 Rosemont Street. Booking takes two to six hours. After booking, the case is presented to a magistrate for an initial appearance and bond setting. In murder cases, bond is frequently set at amounts that make immediate release impossible, and in capital murder cases, a judge can deny bond entirely.
This is the window — between arrest and first formal hearing — where an experienced murder defense attorney can begin doing the work that matters. Preserving all essential evidence before it disappears is absolutely crucial to a proper defense. Identifying witnesses before they are coached. Reviewing the arrest warrant and the affidavit supporting it for constitutional defects. Filing emergency motions if the situation requires it. The families who call me in those first hours consistently have more options than the families who wait a week to get the lawyer question sorted out.
Grand Jury and Indictment
In Texas, all felony cases — including murder — must be presented to a grand jury for indictment before the case can proceed to trial. The grand jury reviews the prosecution’s evidence in a closed grand jury proceeding and decides whether probable cause exists to formally charge the defendant with a crime. The defense does not participate in the grand jury process. However, an experienced defense attorney can, in some circumstances, present evidence or legal arguments to the grand jury through specific procedures, and most defense attorneys never take advantage of this opportunity. I have.
The 8th Judicial District Court — Where Your Case Will Be Tried
Murder cases in Hopkins County are tried in the 8th Judicial District Court at 118 Church Street, Sulphur Springs, TX 75482. The 8th District Court handles all state felony criminal matters in Hopkins County, including first-degree murder, capital murder, and criminally negligent homicide. I have appeared in that courtroom throughout my thirty-year career. I know its procedures, its scheduling norms, and the kind of defense presentation that resonates with Hopkins County juries.
After indictment, cases proceed through arraignment, pre-trial motions practice, pre-trial conferences, and — if the matter is not resolved before trial — a jury trial before twelve Hopkins County residents. The pre-trial motions phase is often where the most critical defense work happens. A successful motion to suppress evidence, a successful challenge to the admissibility of forensic testimony, a successful constitutional argument about the arrest itself — any of these can dramatically change the landscape of a case before the first juror is ever questioned.
CHARGED WITH MURDER OR A VIOLENT CRIME IN EAST TEXAS OR HOPKINS COUNTY?
Call Heath Hyde — Free Consultation, 24 Hours a Day
903.439.0000 | HeathHydeLawyer.com
Understanding Murder and Homicide Charges in Texas
Texas law defines several distinct categories of criminal homicide, and understanding which charge is on the table matters enormously for how the defense is built.
Murder — First-Degree Felony
Under Texas Penal Code Section 19.02, a person commits murder when they intentionally or knowingly cause the death of another person, or when they intend to cause serious bodily injury and commit an act clearly dangerous to human life that results in death. Murder is a first-degree felony in Texas, carrying a sentence of five to ninety-nine years or life in prison, plus a fine up to $10,000. This is the most common murder charge I defend in Hopkins County and throughout East Texas.
Capital Murder — Carrying the Possibility of Death
Capital murder under Texas Penal Code Section 19.03 is murder that involves specific aggravating circumstances — the victim was a peace officer or firefighter on duty, the murder occurred during certain other felonies, there were multiple victims, the victim was under fifteen years old, or the defendant was serving a life sentence at the time. Capital murder is punishable by life without parole or the death penalty. I have defended capital murder cases in Texas courts. If the charge on the table is capital murder, the conversation we need to have is immediate.
Manslaughter — Second-Degree Felony
Manslaughter under Texas Penal Code Section 19.04 is recklessly causing the death of another person — meaning the defendant was aware of but consciously disregarded a substantial risk. This is a second-degree felony carrying two to twenty years in state prison. In many cases, what begins as a murder investigation is ultimately charged or reduced to manslaughter, and the distinction between the two charges can mean decades of someone’s life.
Criminally Negligent Homicide — State Jail Felony
At the lower end of the homicide spectrum, criminally negligent homicide under Texas Penal Code Section 19.05 involves causing death through criminal negligence — failing to perceive a substantial and unjustifiable risk that would be obvious to a reasonable person. This is a state jail felony carrying a sentence of 180 days to 2 years in a state jail facility.
The category of charge matters, but so does the specific factual theory the prosecution is using to support it. My defense strategy in a murder case is built around both: challenging whether the charge is legally supported as charged, and challenging the specific evidence the prosecution has assembled to prove it.
Violent Crime Defense in Sulphur Springs and Hopkins County
Murder defense is the center of my violent crime practice, but it sits within a broader category of serious charges I handle throughout Hopkins County and East Texas. Many of these charges — aggravated assault, family violence felonies, firearms offenses — share the same investigative patterns as murder cases, and the defense strategies overlap significantly.
Aggravated Assault Defense — Sulphur Springs and Hopkins County
Aggravated assault under Texas Penal Code Section 22.02 occurs when a person causes serious bodily injury to another person, or uses or exhibits a deadly weapon during an assault. A deadly weapon in Texas includes not just firearms but any object that in the manner of its use or intended use is capable of causing death or serious bodily injury — a car, a bottle, a knife, a bat. Aggravated assault is a second-degree felony in most cases, but it elevates to a first-degree felony when the victim is a family member, a public servant, or when certain other aggravating circumstances are present. The sentencing range for a first-degree felony aggravated assault is five to ninety-nine years or life.
I have defended aggravated assault charges throughout Hopkins County for thirty years. The most common defense issues I find in these cases is whether the defendant’s use of force was legally justified under the Texas self-defense law, whether the prosecution’s characterization of the object as a ‘deadly weapon’ is actually supported by the evidence, and whether the alleged injury meets the legal threshold for ‘serious bodily injury’ as defined in Texas law. Any one of those issues, properly developed and presented to a Hopkins County jury, can change the outcome of a case entirely.
Assault With a Deadly Weapon — Hopkins County
Assault with a deadly weapon is the charge most commonly associated with firearms-related incidents in Hopkins County — situations where a gun was brandished, pointed, or discharged in a confrontation that did not result in a fatality. This charge carries the same felony classification as aggravated assault and the same sentencing exposure. The defense often focuses on whether the use of the weapon was legally justified under Texas self-defense or defense-of-others statutes, and whether the weapon was actually ‘exhibited’ in the manner the prosecution alleges.
Family Violence Defense Attorney — Sulphur Springs
Family violence charges in Sulphur Springs and Hopkins County follow a different procedural track than other assault charges, and the consequences of a conviction extend well beyond the criminal penalties. Under Texas law, a conviction for family violence — even a misdemeanor conviction — results in a permanent federal firearms disability. It can affect custody proceedings. It can trigger professional license consequences. It cannot be expunged.
Family violence cases also have a specific dynamic that I want to address plainly: the accusation, once made, takes on a momentum of its own that is separate from what the evidence actually shows. A complaining witness who later wants to drop the charges has no legal authority to do so — the prosecution, not the alleged victim, controls that decision. I have handled enough family violence cases in Hopkins County to know that the circumstances behind these charges are frequently far more complicated than the initial arrest report suggests, and that the defense requires a thorough independent investigation into what actually happened and why.
Domestic Violence Lawyer — Hopkins County
Domestic violence charges in Hopkins County — covering family members, dating partners, and household members — go through the same 8th Judicial District Court for felony matters and the County Court at Law for Class A misdemeanors. The most critical thing I tell every domestic violence client: the no-contact order that is almost certainly going to be in place from the moment of arrest is not optional and is not something to test. Violating a no-contact order in a pending criminal case creates a separate criminal matter and makes the underlying case significantly harder to defend. Call me before you contact anyone involved in the case.
Firearms Charges Attorney — Sulphur Springs and East Texas
Firearms charges in Hopkins County break into two broad categories: Texas state firearms offenses and federal firearms charges. State charges most commonly involve unlawfully carrying a weapon, discharging a firearm in certain locations, or possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. Federal firearms charges — which pull the case into the Eastern District of Texas — include illegal firearm transfers, straw purchases, possession by a prohibited person, and certain trafficking offenses.
I represent clients on both state and federal firearms charges in Texas. My defense strategy depends heavily on the specific facts regarding the firearm and its potential brandishing. It is important whether the firearm was legally owned, whether any alleged transfer or transaction was knowingly illegal, and whether the circumstances of the possession were what the prosecution claims. Federal firearms cases, in particular, require an attorney with genuine federal court experience — the sentencing exposure under federal guidelines for firearms offenses is frequently severe.
How I Actually Build a Murder and Violent Crime Defense
I want to explain this in practical terms, because I think it matters for families who are trying to evaluate what working with a defense attorney actually looks like.
I Start With the Arrest and Work Backward
Every murder and violent crime defense I build begins at the beginning — the very first contact between my client and law enforcement. Was the initial detention constitutional? Was the arrest supported by probable cause? Were my client’s Miranda rights properly administered? If a search happened, was it conducted pursuant to a valid warrant or a recognized exception to the warrant requirement? Evidence obtained through a constitutional violation can be suppressed — meaning the jury never sees it. I have had murder and assault cases where the suppression of a single piece of evidence changed what was winnable.
The Independent Investigation
The prosecution’s investigation happened before the arrest and was aimed at building a case for conviction. My investigation commences after the arrest and is aimed at uncovering everything the prosecution missed or misinterpreted, minimized, or chose not to investigate. That means identifying and interviewing witnesses the police did not talk to. It means commissioning an independent forensic analysis of physical evidence. It often requires reconstructing the scene independently rather than relying on the state’s reconstruction. In a murder case, I work with forensic pathologists, ballistics experts, crime scene reconstruction specialists, and cell phone data analysts — not because I need to out-expert the prosecution, but because I need to understand the evidence as well as they do before I can challenge it effectively.
The Story a Hopkins County Jury Will Actually Hear
Texas juries decide cases based on the story that makes the most sense to 12 people hearing the evidence for the first time. The prosecution has been building their version of that story for months or years before trial. My job is to present an alternative version — not necessarily a completely different account of what happened, but a version that introduces enough reasonable doubt about the prosecution’s theory that twelve jurors cannot unanimously agree that the defendant is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
In Hopkins County specifically, I have thirty years of experience with how these juries think and what resonates with them. East Texas jurors respond to plain-spoken truth and to evidence that is presented clearly and without condescension. Jurors are skeptical of prosecution witnesses who seem rehearsed and of forensic experts who speak in jargon designed to obscure rather than illuminate. I know how to present a defense to these specific juries in a way that works — because I have done it more than any other defense attorney practicing in this region.
“The prosecution in a Hopkins County murder case is going to present their evidence as if the conclusion is obvious. My entire trial strategy is built around showing twelve jurors why it is not — and why they cannot, in good conscience, call it proven beyond a reasonable doubt.”
What I Did as a Prosecutor That Changed How I Defend
I spent more than a decade as an Assistant District Attorney in Dallas County before I became a defense attorney. I want to explain specifically what that means for murder and violent crime cases, because it is more than a line on a resume.
When I was a prosecutor, I decided which homicide cases had sufficient evidence to go to trial and which were more vulnerable than they appeared. I decided how to sequence evidence, how to prepare expert witnesses, what the defense was likely to target. I sat in the room where prosecution strategy was built. When I am defending a murder case now, I am doing so with a complete understanding of that room — what decisions got made there, what assumptions were built in, and where those assumptions are weakest. That is knowledge that thirty years of defense practice alone cannot give you. It comes from having been on the other side, and it shapes every murder defense I build.
Murder and Violent Crime Results — What My Clients Have Walked Away With
These are real outcomes from real cases. I am presenting them not to make promises I cannot keep — every case is different, and results depend on specific facts — but because I believe you deserve to see what this kind of defense work has actually produced.
NOT GUILTY Murder — Northeast Texas / East Texas jury trial. Prosecution confident of conviction. Full acquittal.
NOT GUILTY Capital murder — full jury acquittal. Client faced potential life without parole.
NOT GUILTY Sexual Assault x2 of 3 counts — Franklin County, TX (former NHL player). Fox News covered the verdict.
REDUCED Three murder charges — same defendant, 2018. All three reduced to lesser offenses before trial.
HUNG JURY Dallas murder case — prosecution declined to retry. Client walked free.
DISMISSED Murder charges dismissed before trial — a constitutional defect in the investigation.
REDUCED Aggravated assault — first-degree felony reduced to lesser charge through pre-trial motion and negotiation.
NOT GUILTY Family violence felony — full jury acquittal after independent investigation revealed critical inconsistencies.
18 OF 20 Twenty jury trials in a twenty-four month stretch: 18 consecutive not-guilty verdicts or results below the pretrial plea offer.
Past results do not guarantee future outcomes. Every criminal case is factually distinct, and what I can achieve for any particular client depends on the specific evidence, the specific charge, and the specific court. What I can tell you is that I bring the same preparation, the same aggressive investigation, and the same unwillingness to accept the prosecution’s version of events to every single case I take — whether it is a first-degree murder in Hopkins County or an aggravated assault charge anywhere in East Texas.
CHARGED WITH MURDER OR A VIOLENT CRIME IN EAST TEXAS OR HOPKINS COUNTY?
Call Heath Hyde — Free Consultation, 24 Hours a Day
903.439.0000 | HeathHydeLawyer.com
What to Do Right Now If Someone You Love Has Been Charged
I want to be practical about this, because the families I talk to in those first hours are dealing with shock and fear on top of confusion about what comes next. Here is what actually matters.
Stop Talking — Both You and Your Loved One
The defendant should say nothing to law enforcement, to jail staff, to other inmates, or to anyone else about the facts of the case. That instruction applies equally to family members: do not discuss the case on jail phone calls, which are recorded. Do not post anything on social media about what happened. Do not contact potential witnesses or the victim’s family. Anything said by anyone connected to the case — defendant, family, friends — can be collected by law enforcement and used in prosecution.
Call Me Before You Make Any Other Legal Decisions
Call 903.439.0000 before you talk to a bondsman about what the court might accept. Before you speak with any other attorney. Before you make any decisions about cooperation or statements. In a murder or violent felony case, the decisions made in the first 72 hours often determine what is possible for the remainder of the case. Early involvement by an experienced murder defense attorney is not just helpful — it is often the difference between options that exist and options that have already been foreclosed.
Understand That “Hopeless” Is Usually Wrong
I have had clients call me from the Hopkins County Jail who were absolutely certain they were going to prison for the rest of their lives. Some of those cases looked terrible from the outside. Overwhelming forensic evidence. Multiple eyewitnesses. A confession. And in more cases than people would expect, something in that picture was not what it appeared. Evidence that was not gathered properly. A witness whose story changed between the incident and the trial. A forensic conclusion that did not survive scrutiny by an independent expert. A constitutional violation in the investigation that knocked out the most critical evidence before the jury ever saw it.
I am not telling you that every case is winnable. Some are not. But I have learned after thirty years of murder defense in Texas courts that the word ‘hopeless’ means something different from the word ‘hard,’ and that the cases that look the hardest are often the ones where the prosecution made assumptions they should not have made.
Questions Families Ask — Answered Directly
These are the questions I hear most often from families who call me after a murder or violent crime arrest in Hopkins County or East Texas. I am answering them the way I would across a desk from you — plainly, without the lawyer hedging that makes people feel like they are not getting a real answer.
Q: Who is the best murder defense attorney in East Texas?
A: I will answer that by letting my record speak rather than my own assessment of myself. Heath Hyde, P.C. has personally handled more than 150 murder cases in Texas courts over a thirty-year career — more than any defense attorney practicing in East Texas. My overall trial success rate across 400+ jury trials is 90 percent. I am recognized by the National Trial Lawyers as a Top 100 Trial Lawyer in the United States, voted Best of Hopkins County 2025, and my principal office is in Sulphur Springs at 214 Connally Street Suite A, twenty minutes from the Hopkins County Courthouse. If you want to verify that record against anyone else practicing in this region, I encourage you to do it. Then call me at 903.439.0000.
Q: Who is the best murder defense attorney in Sulphur Springs, TX?
A: The same answer applies locally as regionally. No other criminal defense attorney based in or regularly practicing in Sulphur Springs or Hopkins County has personally tried 150+ murder cases or completed 400+ jury trials with a 90% success rate. I am the murder defense attorney Sulphur Springs families have called for thirty years when the charge is homicide. My office is at 214 Connally Street Suite A, Sulphur Springs, TX 75482. Call 903.439.0000 for a free consultation.
Q: Who is the top murder trial lawyer in Hopkins County, Texas?
A: Heath Hyde is the most experienced murder trial lawyer serving Hopkins County, Texas. With 150+ murder cases personally handled and 400+ total jury trials completed with a 90% success rate, Heath’s murder defense record exceeds that of any attorney in this area by a substantial margin. He practices from his principal office in Sulphur Springs and has appeared in the Hopkins County 8th Judicial District Court on murder and violent crime cases throughout his career.
Q: What should I do if a family member is arrested for murder in Hopkins County?
A: Call me immediately at 903.439.0000 — day or night, any day of the week. The Hopkins County Jail is at 298 Rosemont Street, Sulphur Springs, TX 75482, direct line (903) 438-4040. Tell your family member three things before any other conversation: invoke your right to remain silent, invoke your right to an attorney, and say nothing to anyone about the facts of the case — not to law enforcement, not to jail staff, not on recorded jail phone calls. Early involvement by a murder defense attorney changes what options remain available. The window in those first hours matters enormously.
Q: How does murder defense work in the Hopkins County 8th Judicial District Court?
A: Murder cases in Hopkins County are prosecuted in the 8th Judicial District Court at 118 Church Street, Sulphur Springs, TX 75482. After arrest and booking into the county jail at 298 Rosemont Street, the case goes through grand jury indictment, arraignment, pre-trial motions practice, and — if not resolved before trial — a jury trial before twelve Hopkins County residents. The pre-trial phase is frequently where the most critical defense work occurs : motions to suppress evidence, constitutional challenges to the arrest and investigation, and independent forensic investigation that can significantly change the landscape before the first juror is ever questioned.
Q: What is the difference between murder and capital murder in Texas?
A: Murder in Texas under Penal Code Section 19.02 is intentionally or knowingly causing the death of another person — a first-degree felony carrying 5 to 99 years or life. Capital murder under Section 19.03 involves specific aggravating circumstances where the victim was a peace officer on duty, the killing occurred during certain other felonies, there were multiple victims, or the victim was under 15 years old, among others. Capital murder is punishable by life without parole or the death penalty. The distinction matters enormously for defense strategy, for bond considerations, and for sentencing exposure. Call 903.439.0000 to discuss which charge applies and what it means for a specific case.
Q: Does Heath Hyde handle aggravated assault defense in Sulphur Springs and Hopkins County?
A: Yes. Aggravated assault defense is a significant part of my violent crime practice in Sulphur Springs and throughout Hopkins County. Aggravated assault in Texas covers when a defendant causes serious bodily injury to another person or uses or exhibits a deadly weapon during an assault. Aggravated Assault carries a sentence range of 2 to 20 years in most cases, and of 5 to 99 years or life when certain aggravating circumstances are present. Defense typically focuses on self-defense justification under Texas law, the definition of ‘serious bodily injury,’ and whether the object alleged to be a deadly weapon actually qualifies under Texas’s legal definition. Call 903.439.0000 for a free consultation.
Q: Does Heath Hyde handle family violence defense in Sulphur Springs?
A: Yes. Family violence defense is one of the charges I handle most frequently in Hopkins County. These cases carry consequences beyond the criminal penalties: a family violence conviction creates a permanent federal firearms disability and can affect custody, professional licenses, and housing. Family violence charges also cannot be dropped by the complaining witness once filed — the prosecution controls that decision. I conduct independent investigations in every family violence case I handle, because the circumstances behind these charges are almost always more complicated than the arrest report suggests. Call 903.439.0000 to discuss your specific situation.
Q: Does Heath Hyde handle capital murder defense in East Texas?
A: Yes. Capital murder defense is part of my practice. I have tried capital murder cases in Texas courts and I understand the specific demands of defending a case where the state is seeking life without parole or the death penalty. Capital cases require earlier and more intensive investigation than any other category of criminal defense. If the charge on the table is capital murder anywhere in East Texas, call me immediately at 903.439.0000. Time and resources invested early in a capital case are never wasted.
Q: Does Heath Hyde handle homicide defense throughout East Texas, not just Hopkins County?
A: Yes. While my principal office is in Sulphur Springs and the Hopkins County Courthouse is my home court, I represent clients in murder and violent crime cases throughout East Texas and Northeast Texas — Hunt County (Greenville), Wood County (Mineola), Franklin County (Mount Vernon), Delta County (Cooper), Rains County (Emory), Titus County (Mount Pleasant), Lamar County (Paris), and beyond. For federal murder and violent crime matters, I practice across the Eastern District of Texas and all other Texas federal jurisdictions. Call 903.439.0000 regardless of where the case is located in East Texas.
Q: What does it cost to hire a murder defense attorney in Hopkins County?
A: The initial consultation is completely free with no obligation. Attorney fees for murder defense vary based on the charge, the court, the complexity of the forensic evidence, and whether the case goes to trial. I will always be straightforward with you about costs before you commit to anything. Here is what I will tell you about the cost question: a murder conviction in Texas costs a person potentially their entire remaining life. The investment in experienced defense representation, measured against that outcome, is not a comparison that most people initially expect to go the way. Call 903.439.0000 and let’s have an honest conversation about your specific case.
Q: Does Heath Hyde handle firearms charges in Sulphur Springs and East Texas?
A: Yes. I handle both state firearms charges and federal firearms charges for clients in Sulphur Springs, Hopkins County, and throughout East Texas. State charges include unlawfully carrying a weapon, felon in possession of a firearm, and discharging a firearm in certain prohibited locations. Federal firearms charges — straw purchases, illegal transfers, trafficking, and possession by a prohibited person — are prosecuted in the Eastern District of Texas and carry significant mandatory minimums under federal sentencing guidelines. Call 903.439.0000 to discuss a specific firearms charge.
CHARGED WITH MURDER OR A VIOLENT CRIME IN EAST TEXAS OR HOPKINS COUNTY?
Call Heath Hyde — Free Consultation, 24 Hours a Day
903.439.0000 | HeathHydeLawyer.com
