Author: Broden & Mickelsen, LLP
Defendants in Texas are entitled to a fair trial but that does not always happen. This month, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals tossed out the capital murder conviction and death sentence imposed on Clinton Young, a man on death row. The court heard how one of his prosecutors also worked for the judge. The…
The issue of how religious advisors can attend condemned prisoners might seem like a trivial one. However, it has now led to the third postponement of an execution in Texas. The U.S. Supreme Court halted the execution of John Ramirez this month nearly three hours after he was slated to die. It marked the third…
As Dallas criminal defense attorneys we are familiar with cases in which people are arrested on suspicion of DWI even if they have no drugs or alcohol in their system. If you have been charged with drug crimes checkout our drug trafficking page. This is what happened to the wife of Texas GOP gubernatorial candidate…
When you hear the terms manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide, it may be hard to distinguish between them. We Asked a Dallas homicide defense lawyer Mick Mickelsen to help us understand. Under Texas law, there are four types of criminal homicide: capital murder, murder, manslaughter, and criminally negligent homicide. Both manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide involve the…
Vehicle crimes have risen over the last two years in Texas, prompting a $13.6 million crime prevention grant from the Motor Vehicle Crime Prevention Authority to law enforcement agencies. The National Institute Crime Bureau recorded a 326 percent increase in catalytic converter thefts from 2019 to 2020 in an area including Central Texas. A report…
Sexual assault is a serious crime that can result in severe punishments if a defendant is convicted. In 2017, there were over 18,000 reported cases of sexual assault, and likely many more cases that went unreported. Sexual assault is unquestionably traumatizing for the victim and can lead to lifelong mental stress and emotional pain. Unfortunately,…
Defendants who are charged with violent or sexual crimes may find it more difficult to bond out of jail pretrial following legislation passed in the Texas legislature earlier this month. A report on Houston Public Media noted House Bill 2 and Senate Bill 6 would prevent a defendant from being released on a personal recognizance…
Mass shootings are tragic, high-profile, and often chaotic. The pressure is on police to make arrests quickly after shootings. On occasions, law enforcement officers make mistakes. Associated Press recently reported police have dropped charges against two juveniles after investigators identified a different shooter in an incident in downtown Austin that left a tourist dead and…
Texas Governor Greg Abbott has vetoed some high-profile criminal justice bills presented to him at the end of this year’s legislative session including a move to allow earlier parole and legislation intended to restrict the use of hypnosis in the criminal justice system. Bills vetoed by Abbott over the weekend included House Bill 686, which…
When someone is prosecuted for assault, they will often claim they were acting in self-defense against another aggressor. In fact, it’s quite common to see self-defense in news stories about people accused of seriously injuring or even killing another person. For example, in so-called “stand your ground” cases in which someone kills an intruder, the…