Author: Mick Mickelsen
An investigation by the American-Statesman has revealed that an independent forensic lab has filed a complaint against the Austin Police Department Crime Lab. The complaint claims that employees at the Austin P.D. lab either lost, contaminated, or incorrectly classified drug samples. In at least three cases, the complaint claims that these mistakes have caused significant…
According to a recent article on DallasNews.com, a prominent Dallas plaintiff’s attorney recently pleaded guilty to murder. The lawyer, Scott Marshall, pleaded guilty on January 20th to murdering Staci Michelle Montgomery, the ex-wife of Marshall’s former law partner Bady Sassin. In return for his plea, Marshall received a 40-year prison sentence. The plea hearing took…
According to a recent article in the Palestine Herald-Press, a former Texas Department of Criminal Justice correctional officer has been indicted on multiple counts of sexual misconduct. David Wayne Green, 39, of Palestine, Texas, was indicted by the grand jury on January 19 th on three counts of sexual assault of a child and a…
GPS technology can be a wonderful thing, just ask anyone with a terrible sense of direction what a godsend it can be. While the technology has many helpful, civilian uses it can also be used for other, more insidious purposes. As a case before the U.S. Supreme Court just this week highlighted, GPS can also…
According to new research recently published in the journal Criminology, genes may be a strong predictor of whether a person becomes a career criminal. The research was conducted by University of Texas at Dallas criminologist J.C. Barnes and set out to analyze the genetic and environmental influences on criminal traits of some 4,000 people. The…
The Texas Lawyer, the statewide legal publication for Texas lawyers, named Clint Broden Appellate Lawyer of the Week in its January 16, 2012 edition. Clint received the honor for his recent criminal appeals victory in the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. The Fifth Circuit reversed money laundering convictions against his client…
Clint Broden was hired to represent a client on appeal after the client was convicted of three counts of money laundering, a white collar crime, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas. The client was sentenced to 252 months (21 years) in federal prison. Even with good-time credit, the client…
I’ve spent some time perusing the websites of many criminal defense lawyers and I notice a disturbing trend. Many of them are being less than honest about their “win” rates. It is not uncommon to see lawyers boast that they have won 90% of their cases. This is a great marketing tool. Many potential unsuspecting…
Naturally, when many people are seeking a criminal defense lawyer they look for the most affordable lawyer. If they call around when shopping for a lawyer they may be surprised by the disparity in prices quoted they get from lawyers for handling their case. Beware of cheap criminal defense lawyers. Here’s why. For example, to…
Troy Davis was convicted and executed for the murder of Officer Mark McPhail in Savannah, Georgia. During his trial in 1991, seven witness testified that they saw Davis shoot Officer MCPhail, and two others testified that Davis had confessed to them. After Davis was convicted he appealed his conviction and sentence, but the appellate court…