As a criminal defense attorney, one question that I am most frequently asked is: “How can you defend those guilty people?” Erroneously presupposed by those who ask this question is that all the people that I represent are all guilty. I have different responses when asked this question depending on…
NO! No, the “War on Drugs” seems to continue to be a priority of our government. Yesterday morning, for example, the U.S. Coast Guard offloaded approximately 2,800 pounds of cocaine at Port Everglades. The estimated wholesale value of the seized contraband was $40 million. They seized the cocaine during two…
Yesterday, I asked my Twitter friends to give me some suggestions as to what they wanted me to blog about. Several wanted me to discuss some real cases that I’ve been involved with that stand out over the course of my over twenty years as a prosecutor and defense attorney.…
The year was 2001. A Missouri teenager, who we’ll call Ryan, along with his buddy Chuck, chose to rob and then brutally murder a man. The victim was a well respected newspaper sports editor. Both teens were arrested. In 2005, Ryan went to trial. Chuck was the primary witness against…
Manti Te’o is thrilled. Finally, a more bizarre story coming out of football than a Notre Dame star falling in love with a woman on the internet who he never met, who turned out to be a dude. I’m talking about the Richie Incognito-Jonathan Martin controversy. Suspended Miami Dolphins offensive…
On July 7 approximately a week after being married, Jordan Linn Graham was accused of murdering her husband by pushing him from a cliff. Graham did not report the incident when it occurred. She initially told police Johnson had left in a dark vehicle the night of July 7 with…
Here’s what is not in dispute. 40 year old Lazaro Ramos thought he had taken his 6-month-old to day care. Tragically, instead, he left her strapped in the child seat of his car, in sweltering Miami heat. After spending a long day at his office, he returned to his vehicle…
Let’s say you were arrested and accused of murdering your spouse. In spite of your innocence, cops are hell bent on stripping you of your liberty. Worse, an overzealous prosecutor seems determined to see you rot in prison for life. He even does the unthinkable. He intentionally hides evidence of…
The Mexico Supreme Court has overturned a lower court ruling that led to a Mexican drug lord’s freedom. Rafael Caro Quintero, 61, was accused of kidnapping and murder a DEA agent, Enrique Camarena, and his pilot, in 1985. The Mexican Supreme Court’s decision was released one day after U.S. authorities…
Imagine you’re a book publisher and I’m pitching you with a new book idea. Here’s my captivating story, which I’m convinced will be a best seller. Let me know what you think. The year was 1984. A flight attendant was handed a note by one the plane’s passengers. It was…