Evidence

Once on death row for murder committed when he was 1,000 miles away, Texas man is free after plea

Construction laborer Manuel Velez was on the job in Tennessee, some 1,000 miles from his home in Brownsville, Texas, when his girlfriend’s 1-year-old son sustained fatal head injuries, according to medical evidence provided by an expert witness for the prosecution. But Velez was nonetheless convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced…

Oct 8, 2014 2:10 PM CDT

Judge excludes evidence in Aaron Hernandez murder case over inadequate affidavit

A judge in the murder case against former New England Patriots player Aaron Hernandez threw out evidence last week, saying it was illegally obtained. The Boston Herald and ESPN have stories. The ruling by Judge E. Susan Garsh of Bristol County, Massachusetts Superior Court means prosecutors can’t use.45-caliber bullets and…

Oct 6, 2014 4:41 PM CDT

Are you Good2Go, sexual consent app asks? Not so much, some say

Does Good2Go, an app that records affirmative consent for sexual relations, make sense? Probably not, say various technology writers. “The thing is, some portions of life function far better offline than on. Or, to put it another way, an app is not always the answer,” TechCrunch states. “Indeed, an app…

Oct 3, 2014 2:20 PM CDT

SCOTUS to consider whether housing discrimination claims can be based on disparate impact

The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed yet again to consider whether discrimination claims brought under the Fair Housing Act can be based on proof of disparate impact rather than intentional discrimination. The court has twice accepted cases posing the issue, and twice the cases have settled before a Supreme Court…

Oct 3, 2014 9:54 AM CDT

Law enforcement's latest highway tech speeds up info-gathering, but critics say it violates privacy

Gone are the days when law enforcement had to hide behind highway signs to catch motorists or use plastic-cone-equipped listening devices to eavesdrop on suspects. Thanks to modern technology, it’s never been easier—or safer—for police officers to do their jobs. Automated license plate readers allow officers to catch speeders, search…

Oct 1, 2014 6:10 AM CDT

Video evidence is the latest defense to rape charges

Two college students in New Mexico had a gang rape charge against them dropped earlier this year after they turned over video of the reported victim giving lap dances in her underwear and grabbing a man’s crotch. Experts predict an uptick in video as defense in court as an unexpected…

Oct 1, 2014 4:20 AM CDT

Imprisoned ex-cop gets 18 months more for putting ‘Miami Mice’ recording of fellow officers online

Two days before he began serving a four-year sentence in a federal corruption case, a former Miami police sergeant posted telephone recordings of two ex-colleagues on YouTube and a law enforcement site. Entitled “Miami Mice,” the clip was intended to embarrass two officers who worked under Raul Iglesias when he…

Sep 26, 2014 4:40 PM CDT

Lawyer guilty in client money-laundering case; his own words at trial helped convict him, juror says

After more than a week of trial and over a day of deliberation, a Connecticut lawyer was found guilty Thursday by a federal jury in a client money-laundering case. As the verdict was announced, Ralph Crozier, 62, slumped his shoulders, shook his head slightly and put his hands down on…

Sep 26, 2014 11:25 AM CDT

Judge axed evidence when cops took Fifth in lawyer-client eavesdropping; will she dismiss 2nd case?

For the second time this year, an Indiana judge will have to decide whether to eviscerate evidence in a slaying case due to claimed inadvertent eavesdropping by police in LaPorte County. Currently before Judge Kathleen Lang is a motion by lawyers representing John Larkin to dismiss a voluntary manslaughter case…

Sep 26, 2014 10:08 AM CDT

Man gets 90 days for taking cellphone photos in court

Roy Davis caught the attention of a Florida judge on Thursday when the 22-year-old Ohio man reportedly began taking courtroom photos on his cellphone. Ordered by Duval County Judge James Daniel to approach the bench, Davis initially refused but stopped resisting when a court officer aimed a stun gun at…

Sep 25, 2014 5:30 PM CDT

Woman punched by highway patrol officer in videotaped incident will get $1.5M settlement

A 51-year-old woman who was punched repeatedly by a uniformed California Highway Patrol officer alongside a freeway earlier this year has agreed to accept a $1.5 million settlement. The officer will resign. The July 1 incident was captured on video by a passing motorist, and CHP Commissioner Joe Farrow, who…

Sep 25, 2014 11:25 AM CDT

Federal jury says Patti LaBelle’s entourage not responsible for injury to West Point cadet

Despite a security video that plaintiffs counsel says showed Patti LaBelle’s son, hairdresser and 400-pound bodyguard going after a West Point cadet waiting for a ride home outside a Houston airport terminal, a federal court jury on Tuesday rendered a verdict for the soul singer and her entourage. LaBelle herself…

Sep 24, 2014 3:55 PM CDT

Judge suddenly resigns, takes plea in federal corruption case

Updated: A Philadelphia judge suddenly resigned on Tuesday, then took a plea in federal court on Wednesday to corruption charges unsealed earlier in the day. The criminal information charged now-former municipal court judge Joseph Waters Jr. with mail fraud, honest services wire fraud and aiding and abetting. He pleaded guilty…

Sep 24, 2014 3:00 PM CDT

Judge nixes ex-lawyer’s plea to avoid weeks of handcuffed travel, says he must attend law firm trial

Remember Marc Dreier? Convicted in 2009 of a running a $400 million fraud from his now-defunct New York City law firm, the former attorney is serving a 20-year sentence at a federal prison in Minnesota. But a bankruptcy case concerning the Dreier firm is ongoing and, despite Dreier’s objection, he…

Sep 24, 2014 10:30 AM CDT

Judge cuts millions from Apple’s cost request, including $1.5M for copies, in Samsung patent case

A federal judge in California has taken a bite out of Apple’s request for $5.8 million in costs in its successful patent case against Samsung. U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh of San Francisco allowed only $1.8 million in costs after a partial damages retrial that gave Apple a total award…

Sep 24, 2014 6:15 AM CDT