Okay. I thought two short posts about a mental illness defense in the James Holmes case in Colorado would be enough. But. . .NO! You may recall Mr. Holmes was the man who armed himself and walked into a theater in Colorado, opened fire, and killed several people. Originally, his lawyers had said he would plead not guilty …
The alleged mass-killer, James Holmes, has indicated that he will proceed in his trial—where he is accused of entering a theater and shooting dozens of people—with a plea of Not Guilty by reason of insanity. In a previous post, I explored the history of this legal procedure and what would happen in a trial. Colorado’s definition of …
The young man who entered a theater in Colorado and shot dozens of rounds as he walked through the building, killed 12 and wounded 58 others. James Holmes randomly shot at people as they ducked to save themselves. Of the 41 calls to 911, one of the scariest is the 27-second call where you can hear 30 shots …
After working for over 30 years in the criminal courts in Minnesota as both a prosecutor and Public Defender, I have some stories . . .
Those of us in the trenches often say, “you can’t make a reality TV show about this stuff–it’s too real. No one would believe it!” I’ve had several requests to tell the …
Here in the Twin Cities, the local U.S. Attorney, B. Todd Jones, has announced that his office will decrease its prosecution of drug offenses and, instead, focus on more complex, white-collar crime. Does this mean an end to the War on Drugs? See the article at: http://www.startribune.com/local/185235672.html
Started in the 1970’s, the War on Drugs spawned a huge …
Of course, with the Newtown, Connecticut tragedy there are many people who have opinions about the event and how to prevent something like this in the future. I don’t claim to have the answers, but I want to trace some of the legal history about the 2nd Amendment and other amendments to add my own ideas.
Opponents to …
What a difference 30 years makes in our criminal justice system!!
When I first started practicing criminal law in the late 70’s, I worked as both a prosecutor and a Public Defender. I appeared before at least 60 different judges in the adult and juvenile courts. The things I used to see…
Today, in the county where I …
Where do you want me to send your free book?