Homicide is defined by Oklahoma law as the taking of a human life by another and is divided into two crimes:  murder and manslaughter.  These cases involve not only the loss of human life, but also the destruction of many other lives and leave behind grieving friends and family deserving of justice.  District Attorney David Prater has made the prosecution of these cases a top priority and trusts their prosecution to only his most seasoned and experienced trial lawyers.  Those handling capital murder prosecutions typically have fifteen or more years experience in criminal law, and several have twenty or more years of experience.  There are approximately one hundred fifty pending homicide prosecutions at the Oklahoma County District Attorney’s Office, and during calendar 2007 approximately 70 homicides were committed in Oklahoma County.  The crime of murder in the first degree is punishable by death, life in prison, or life without the possibility of parole, while second degree murder is punishable by 10 years to life in prison. Homicide prosecutors regularly advise law enforcement agencies throughout the county on criminal procedure issues such as search and seizure, interrogation, and the laws of arrest in order to maximize the quality of those investigations while assuring that the Constitutional rights of the accused are protected.