Review Found FBI Hair Analysis Flaws in 250 Cases, But DOJ Didn’t Inform Defendants and Public

An inspector general’s nine-year review of misconduct at the FBI crime lab found forensic flaws in hair analysis, but the results of the probe that ended in 2004 were revealed only to prosecutors. The Justice Department did not separately inform defendants whose cases could be affected, including one Maryland man…

Apr 17, 2012 12:00 PM CDT

Prosecutors Detain Alleged Rape Victim to Ensure Her Presence In Court

The detention of a 17-year-old alleged rape victim by Sacramento County, Calif., prosecutors has drawn protests from victims’ rights advocates and the girl’s lawyer. Prosecutors say the girl’s detention is necessary to ensure that she appears in court to testify against the man she accuses of raping her. But victims’…

Apr 16, 2012 9:55 PM CDT

Two Oklahoma Prosecutors Fired Over Allegations They Withheld Evidence from Defense

Two Oklahoma prosecutors have been fired for allegedly withholding evidence favorable to the defense in a recent first-degree murder trial. Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater said assistant district attorneys Pam Kimbrough and Stephanie Miller did not turn over to the defense a statement by a witness in a case…

Apr 13, 2012 8:34 PM CDT

New York Attorney General Creates Bureau to Review Possible Wrongful Convictions

New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has created a new bureau to investigate possible cases of wrongful convictions. The new Conviction Review Bureau will also handle claims for compensation against the state by those who have been wrongfully convicted, Reuters reports. In a statement announcing the creation of the new…

Apr 13, 2012 6:28 PM CDT

Given 2 Years in Gun Case, Defendant Flees, Is Chased Down in Court Hall and Tackled by Prosecutor

Seth Uphoff’s experience as a former defensive back for the Eureka College football team came in handy on Thursday when a convicted defendant was sentenced to two years in a gun case Uphoff prosecuted in Peoria, Ill. Apparently hoping for probation, because he legally owned the assault rifle he shot…

Apr 13, 2012 4:00 PM CDT

Prosecutor in Zimmerman Case Is Known for Tough Tactics; She Won Election After Being Fired

The special prosecutor in Florida who announced second-degree murder charges against George Zimmerman in the killing of Trayvon Martin on Wednesday doesn’t shy away from controversy. Angela Corey won the State’s Attorney election in 2008 after she was fired from the office, the Associated Press reports. She had worked there…

Apr 12, 2012 1:45 PM CDT

Second-Degree Murder Charge in Trayvon Martin Killing Poses Hurdles for Prosecutors

Prosecutors may have a difficult road ahead in their second-degree murder case against George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watch volunteer accused of following and shooting 17-year-old Trayvon Martin. Legal observers told CBS/AP and the New York Times that, based on the evidence made public so far, they are surprised by the…

Apr 12, 2012 12:57 PM CDT

Zimmerman Charged with 2nd-Degree Murder in Trayvon Martin Slaying, Is In Custody

Confirming earlier news reports citing unidentified sources, a Florida special prosecutor announced at a news conference Wednesday that a second-degree murder case is being pursued against a neighborhood watch volunteer in a gated community in Sanford who shot an unarmed teenager in February. George Zimmerman has turned himself in and…

Apr 11, 2012 7:20 PM CDT

Former Prosecutors Sue Anonymous ‘Lawyer’ Commenter over Online Sex-for-Promotion Allegation

A couple in Las Vegas who once worked together as prosecutors have filed a defamation suit against an online commenter who goes by the name “Lawyer.” The suit by former prosecutors Mary and Phil Brown target Lawyer’s assertion that Mary Brown “had sexual relations in order to get promoted,” the…

Apr 11, 2012 2:52 PM CDT

Now 23, Young Woman Says She Made Up Testimony That Put Her Dad in Prison in 2002

Cassandra Ann Kennedy was 11 years old in 2001, when, she now says, she made up a story that put her father in a Washington state prison from 2002 until last week. Disappointed in her father, who, she felt, didn’t love her enough, she falsely told authorities he had raped…

Apr 2, 2012 10:40 PM CDT

Prosecutor and Defense Lawyer Hit with 30-Day Suspensions re Contentious Case, Must Pay $63K

Both the prosecutor and the defense lawyer in a contentious negligent homicide case have been hit with 30-day suspensions and required to pay a combined $63,000 to help cover the cost of their attorney disciplinary proceedings. The Wisconsin Supreme Court imposed the penalties on Friday, in separate opinions concerning the…

Apr 2, 2012 3:36 PM CDT

The Prosecutor on Trial: Ex-Maricopa County Attorney Faces Disbarment for Political Acts

Apr 1, 2012 11:00 AM CDT

In John Joe Gray’s 12th Year of Armed Standoff, Such ‘Sovereign Citizen’ Behavior May Be Increasing

Corrected: Wanted in a Christmas Eve 1999 assault on a Texas state trooper in which he allegedly bit a chunk of flesh out of the officer’s arm after a routine traffic stop escalated, John Joe Gray found an effective way to avoid answering the charge. Released on bail over a…

Mar 30, 2012 8:39 PM CDT

Hearing Officer Upholds Firing of Assistant AG Who ‘Made a Media Spectacle of Himself’

A Michigan grievance officer has upheld the firing of a state assistant attorney general accused of harassing a gay student leader on his blog. Andrew Shirvell was fired in November 2010 after he railed against University of Michigan student assembly president Chris Armstrong, calling him a “radical homosexual activist.” In…

Mar 29, 2012 3:46 PM CDT

Issue for Judge in Lawyer Perjury Case: How to Search Lawyer Files Yet Not Violate Client Privilege?

As an investigation proceeds in an unusual perjury conspiracy case brought against a Michigan lawyer as he was about to try a client’s capital murder case, the presiding judge overseeing the attorney’s prosecution is faced with a difficult problem. How should investigators proceed, in reviewing criminal defense lawyer David Dunn’s…

Mar 26, 2012 8:02 PM CDT