714-997-44002014 Murder and DUI Convictions Overturned
(Photo Credit: AP) A California appeals court overturned a murder and DUI conviction from 2014 yesterday, citing a prejudicial error in the trial proceedings to justify the reversal. Sherri Lynn Wilkins was convicted in February 2014 of murder and driving under the influence of alcohol and was sentenced to serve 55 years to life imprisonment. […]
Merritt May Again Change Legal Representation
Charles “Chase” Merritt, 58, the defendant in a high-profile murder case in Southern California, continues to vacillate between defending himself and hiring an attorney. Merritt stands accused of killing a San Diego County family in 2010 and then burying their bodies in the Mojave Desert. The bodies were found in November 2013 and Merritt was […]
SoCalGas Faces Criminal Charges
(Photo Credit: Santa Clarita Gazette) As part of the state’s efforts to facilitate the cleanup process and ensure enforcement of California environmental regulations, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office filed criminal charges against SoCalGas in relation to the natural gas leak near Porter Ranch. SoCalGas is already being sued by private parties and the […]
Granada Hills Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Charge
U.S. Courthouse in Los Angeles Andrew Harrison Kramer of Granada Hills pleaded guilty this week to one count of conspiracy to distribute at least 1,000 kilograms of marijuana—a federal offense. Kramer was sentenced to 16 years in prison. Kramer, a former operator of a medical marijuana dispensary in West Hollywood, was accused of shipping marijuana […]
Arraignment on Winnetka Murder Charges Delayed
The individual accused of killing his former girlfriend and another man last weekend was scheduled to be arraigned on murder charges yesterday, an important event that has been postponed until February 26. Brian Anthony Gonzales, a/k/a Brian Hammond, 24, is suspected of killing Emily Fox, 22, and Jerrad Scott, 24, last Sunday at Fox’s apartment […]
Yeh Pleads No Contest to Sexual Offenses
(Photo Credit: KTLA) Michelle Yeh, a former science teacher at San Pedro High School, was sentenced in Long Beach Superior Court to state prison after pleading no contest to multiple counts of sexual offenses. Yeh, 29, was accused of engaging in unlawful sexual acts with some of her male students at the school. Yeh was […]
Prosecutor Declines To Prosecute Cosby
Prosecutors in Los Angeles announced their decision today to not file criminal charges against Bill Cosby. Cosby has been accused of various rape and sexual assault offenses in different jurisdictions across the country. Last week, prosecutors in Pennsylvania filed the first formal charges against Cosby. According to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, a […]
New Study on Eyewitness Evidence May Challenge Old Beliefs
A study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences this week may force researchers, scholars, and courts to re-evaluate its assessment of eyewitness testimony. For years now, psychologists, law professors, lawyers and judges have become skeptical of eyewitness testimony. Studies have indicated that eyewitness evidence was often inaccurate or skewed. The number […]
Lawsuit Challenges Cash Bail System
A lawsuit filed in federal court in San Francisco seeks to abolish the cash bail system employed by criminal courts across the country. Equal Justice Under Law, a not-for-profit organization based in Washington D.C., brought the suit and essentially alleged that the bail system has created an unequal justice system in which the rich and […]