Military judge postpones 9/11 cases due to ‘nearly catastrophic server crash’ in Pentagon system

A military judge overseeing the cases of detainees accused of plotting the 9/11, terrorist attacks has postponed hearings scheduled for next week after what a Pentagon official described as “a nearly catastrophic server crash.” Defense lawyers had previously complained about document losses and confidential email provided to prosecutors, which resulted…

Apr 17, 2013 5:50 PM CDT

After Pentagon computer security issues, defense lawyers ordered not to email or draft docs online

After the disappearance of multiple documents and intrusions into the Pentagon computer system used by lawyers representing terrorism defendants, both military and civilian attorneys have been ordered not to use their computers for drafting confidential documents or email. “I honestly don’t know how bad it is. All I know is…

Apr 11, 2013 8:00 PM CDT

PDs argue Arizona’s death penalty law is unconstitutional because it is indiscriminate

Two public defenders in Arizona’s Maricopa County contend that the state’s death penalty law is unconstitutional because its aggravating factors allow for a death sentence in virtually every first-degree murder case. The statute, they argue in the motion filed in February, “has no method of meaningfully distinguishing the few cases…

Apr 9, 2013 11:15 AM CDT

Capital murder trial begins for man accused of slaying bystander in shooting outside courthouse

Jury selection began Tuesday in the Galveston, Texas, capital murder trial for a man accused of slaying a bystander when he also shot family members outside the Jefferson County courthouse in Beaumont last year. Investigators say Bartholomew Granger shot Minnie Ray Sebolt, 79, outside the courthouse door as he was…

Apr 2, 2013 10:44 PM CDT

Prosecutors will seek death penalty against suspect in Colorado movie shootings

Prosecutors say they will seek the death penalty against James Holmes, the suspect in the shooting deaths of 12 people at a Colorado movie theater. Lawyers for Holmes had said their client is willing to plead guilty in exchange for a sentence of life in prison without parole. But Arapahoe…

Apr 1, 2013 4:09 PM CDT

$838K murder defense bill in Arias case pits public right to know against attorney-client privilege

So far, the taxpayers of Maricopa County, Ariz., have spent over $838,000 to defend Jodi Arias in a high-profile capital murder case and they likely will be on the hook for over $1 million by the time the legal battle concludes. Under state law, the public has a right to…

Mar 28, 2013 9:38 PM CDT

Maryland lawmakers abolish death penalty

By a 82-56 vote, the Maryland House of Delegates voted Friday to eliminate the state’s death penalty. The state’s senators approved the abolition of capital punishment last week, by a 27-20 margin. Gov. Martin O’Malley must still sign the bill into law before it is final, but he has been…

Mar 15, 2013 7:22 PM CDT

Hearsay: Do you have an unusual hobby?

Mar 1, 2013 9:50 AM CST

25-year-old tape’s revelation prompts prosecutors to offer mid-trial plea deal

An audio tape that apparently came to light on Sunday has led to dramatic developments in the retrial of a man facing a potential death sentence if he is convicted of murdering a Miami police officer in 1988. Dennis Escobar had already been found guilty in 1991 by a Florida…

Feb 19, 2013 9:01 PM CST

Did Charles Manson commit more ‘Helter Skelter’ murders? Lawyer’s tape suggests he may have

As California’s governor mulls a state parole board recommendation that could result in the first release of a convicted member of the notorious Charles Manson “family” responsible for the “Helter Skelter” murders of actress Sharon Tate and others during the late 1960s, a lawyer’s audiotape is raising questions about whether…

Feb 11, 2013 10:45 PM CST

Death row inmate gets a reprieve over execution drug’s provenance

A federal judge has canceled next week’s scheduled execution of a Louisiana man because the state hasn’t provided the defense with enough information about its planned execution protocol. Christopher Sepulvado, 69, was scheduled to be executed Wednesday for the 1992 murder of his 6-year-old stepson, Wesley Mercer, who was beaten…

Feb 8, 2013 6:02 PM CST

Is CIA listening to talk between lawyers and clients in Guantanamo death-penalty case?

Claims by defense counsel that the CIA could be eavesdropping on confidential attorney-client communications in a death-penalty terrorism case at Guantanamo Bay, if true, would raise a serious ethical issue, a military judge said Monday. However, while Army Col. James Pohl granted a three-hour recess to allow the defense attorneys…

Feb 5, 2013 8:30 PM CST

Case of murder-kidnapping of 12-year-old tossed on speedy-trial grounds; state high court affirms

The Georgia Supreme Court has upheld a trial judge’s decision to dismiss kidnapping, sexual assault and murder charges in the death of a 12-year-old girl because prosecutors violated the accused’s right to a speedy trial. The unanimous supreme court today expressed its distaste for doing so, but detailed how badly the…

Feb 4, 2013 9:00 PM CST

Working for free: Lawyers incorporating pro bono into their lives talk about its rewards, challenges

Over the years, and especially during the last several decades, pro bono legal service has taken many forms. A lawyer files an insurance claim for a neighbor after a fire. Two attorneys help a group of Vietnam veterans get recognized as a nonprofit by the IRS. The general counsel of…

Feb 1, 2013 11:20 AM CST

Convicted at murder retrial, pro se defendant says he wants lawyer for penalty phase

On trial for the second time for the murder of his wife and stepdaughter, Khalid Pasha, who defended himself pro se, was convicted Friday by a Florida jury after less than an hour of deliberation. At his previous trial, it took the jury about 35 minutes longer, the Tampa Bay…

Jan 25, 2013 8:08 PM CST