The holiday season can be a stressful time for people, especially when the economy is bad and people are depressed. Los Angeles violent crime defense attorneys often see a rise in certain types of violent activities, as people are morbidly affected by the pressure to spend money they don't have, or are depressed by a lack of family. This holiday season saw two major tragic events define the city. Los Angeles rang in the new year with at least five homicides and a fatal officer-involved shooting. Vannaly Tim, 24, and her boyfriend, Sarith Em, 25, were shot outside their Signal Hill-area apartment. Em, an Iraq war veteran, and Tim went outside to move a car to avoid a parking ticket, and Tim's younger sister, Debi So, heard six gunshots, the Long Beach Press-Telegram reported. At first, So thought the shots were part of a New Year's Eve celebration, but she later found Em shot several times in the back and lying in the street on top of Tim. One of the bullets went through Em and lodged in Tim's chest. In Panorama City, Los Angeles police fatally shot 41-year-old Saul Soriano, had been threatening his family with a gun and firing shots into the air early Thursday after his son complained about his drinking. On Christmas Eve, a recently divorced 45-year-old man ran amok with guns and a homemade flame-thrower, killing his ex-wife and eight other members of her family, before killing himself. Soriano had been confronted by a son about his drinking, Soriano's sister-in-law, Iris Zuniga, told NBC4. After the shooting, officers searching his car found an improvised grenade that was almost certainly homemade, Romero said, adding that it was safely detonated in place by a bomb squad. Also during the holiday week:

• In Pomona, Adrienne Davidson, 46, woman told deputies she fatally shot her husband and surrendered at the sheriff's Walnut station.
• At a party in the 3900 block of Avenida del Sol, off Coldwater Canyon Avenue, a young man was fatally shot at close range, according to Los Angeles police at the North Hollywood Station.
• In the Pico-Union district just west of downtown, a man was fatally stabbed in the 1200 block of West Eighth Street.

Violent crimes affect individuals, families and communities, and effective Los Angeles violent crime defense attorneys know the importance of protecting the accused from succumbing to the negative emotions surrounding such crimes. People are often deranged, depressed and just lost mentally, which often leads them to commit crimes they wouldn't ordinarily commit the other 51 weeks of the year. When holiday parties include alcohol in the mix of circumstances, it makes for that many more problems. If you or a loved one has been accused of a violent crime, contact a qualified and experienced Los Angeles violent crime defense attorney today! Tagged as: jury trial defense