Trial #28 dove back into the world of domestic violence. It involved a set of exes who had parted ways; however, the defendant left his vehicle parked on his ex-girlfriend's property. Grandpa, who also lived at the property, had the vehicle towed. Upset, the defendant and his current girlfriend showed up at the house and…
I spent a summer during law school working as an intern for our Courthouse where we provided assistance to litigants representing themselves in family law matters. Basically, I would go to court and assist with filling out paperwork. What struck me the most was the inability of people, who were once happily in love, to…
The office I work at requires the prosecutors to submit a trial memo at the conclusion of each trial completed. It outlines, the charges, all the parties involved, pre-trial offers, the facts of the case, as well as any noteworthy problems. For trial #26, under the noteworthy problems section, I simply wrote: "Defendant is a…
Jury trial #25 took back to the all too familiar, and uncertain, terrain of domestic violence. The facts were fairly straight-forward. Our victim contacted 911 after having locked herself in a room. She was audibly upset and told the dispatcher that defendant was "hitting on her" and that she was tired of him beating her.…
One of the realities of working in criminal prosecution is the plea bargain. There are numerous reasons plea bargains are routinely utilized in criminal law: (1) to avoid the expense of trial; (2) to avoid over burdening the jury pool and the public with unnecessary jury trials; (3) to minimize the emotional damage trial can…
Felon and guns don't mix and self-defense is a hard sell when the two combine.
Ultimately, this was one the jury got right with a misdemeanor and it helped me change my perspective on marijuana cultivation moving forward. It is also a good example of how prosecution evolves over time with the law as it changes. Prosecutors are given a lot of discretion in filing, charging, settling, and trying cases on behalf of the People and as there are changes in the law, and continuing research into areas affecting crime we, adapt so that our discretion aligns with what society believes is a just outcome. The jury saw it here and I see it now.
The defendant in jury trial #21 was charged with vandalizing a correctional facility. He had ripped a large ADA guardrail off the wall of the jail and was yelling that he was going to "tear this mother fucker apart" if he didn't get moved from a solitary room back into the main line. He had…
The trial that forever changed my perspective of jury trials. From day one, I was told that my job as a prosecutor was not win, it was to seek justice. To do the right thing. To handle those things within my control, holding myself to the highest standard. In this trial I followed those rules, and the dragon won.
Prosecutors act on behalf of the People, but we also are charged with protecting victim's Constitutional rights. We work to protect public safety, which includes the safety of victim's of crime. We are trained to keep the victim in mind at every stage of the prosecution but that doesn't necessarily mean that we will discontinue…
Hopelessly Devoted 