Sentencing/Post Conviction

Harvard law grad pleads guilty to kidnapping in case once considered a hoax

A Harvard law grad has pleaded guilty to one count of kidnapping for abducting a California woman from her boyfriend’s home in March 2015 and seeking payment of a ransom. Matthew Muller, 39, pleaded guilty on Thursday in a plea deal in which federal prosecutors will seek no more than…

Sep 30, 2016 8:00 AM CDT

Soldier who pleaded guilty to animal cruelty is ordered to carry puppy picture

A soldier who pleaded guilty to animal cruelty for drowning his 8-month-old dog will have to carry a picture of the puppy in his wallet while he is on probation for two years, a North Carolina judge ordered on Tuesday. Judge Jim Ammons of Fayetteville also sentenced John Garrett Burrow,…

Sep 28, 2016 1:32 PM CDT

Top state court should toss 24,000 convictions connected to disgraced chemist, ACLU says

The top court in Massachusetts is being asked to toss more than 24,000 convictions that are linked to a chemist who admitted to tampering with evidence samples to favor law enforcement. A brief (PDF) filed on Friday argues that public defenders would need 48 years to assign lawyers to each…

Sep 27, 2016 8:45 AM CDT

Former DA heads to prison Monday for obstruction of justice

An investigation called “Operation Twisted Justice” led to the obstruction of justice charge against a former district attorney in Louisiana who heads to federal prison Monday. The former St. Charles Parish DA, Harry Morel, pleaded guilty earlier this year and was sentenced to three years in prison, the New Orleans…

Sep 23, 2016 4:29 PM CDT

Law exempts homeless, disabled woman from paying $15 a month in court costs, state high court rules

A homeless woman with bipolar disorder does not have to pay $15 a month toward court costs for her convictions on charges of disorderly conduct and harassment, the Washington Supreme Court has ruled. In a decision on Thursday, the court said Briana Wakefield struggles to meet her basic needs and…

Sep 23, 2016 10:16 AM CDT

Identical twin testifies he committed murder and brother was wrongly convicted

A prosecutor in Chicago on Thursday questioned the claim of an identical twin who testified he committed a murder and his brother was wrongly convicted of the crime in 2005. Karl Smith first made the claim in a letter he sent to his brother in the fall of 2013, the…

Sep 23, 2016 9:35 AM CDT

‘Voodoo science’ is sending people to prison, Kozinski says

Many people languish in prison based on “voodoo science” that is presented as unassailable by forensic examiners, according to a federal appeals judge. Writing for the Wall Street Journal, Judge Alex Kozinski calls for amending federal law to allow federal courts to grant relief to prisoners who can show they…

Sep 21, 2016 1:12 PM CDT

Military OKs gender reassignment surgery for Chelsea Manning; unclear whether it will cover costs

The United States military will allow Chelsea Manning, a transgender soldier serving a 35-year prison sentence for leaking government documents, to undergo gender reassignment surgery while she is incarcerated. The Army has not said whether it will cover costs of the surgery, the New York Times reports. During the 2013…

Sep 14, 2016 3:20 PM CDT

Judge tosses charges against pharmacy chain owner, says prosecutors’ actions ‘shock the conscience’

A federal judge in Maryland blasted prosecutors for actions that “shock the conscience” when he dismissed fraud charges last week against the owner of a pharmacy chain. U.S. District Judge George Russell III accused prosecutors of allowing the destruction of evidence, failing to turn over evidence, and presenting false evidence…

Sep 9, 2016 7:00 AM CDT

Federal prosecutors will drop case against former Virginia governor after SCOTUS loss

Federal prosecutors said on Thursday that they will not seek to retry former Virginia Gov. Robert McDonnell, whose bribery conviction was overturned in June by the U.S. Supreme Court. Prosecutors will also drop the corruption case against McDonnell’s wife, Maureen, according to a statement by the U.S. Justice Department. The…

Sep 8, 2016 2:26 PM CDT

Louisiana juveniles got longer sentences after unexpected LSU football losses, study finds

Juvenile judges in Louisiana imposed longer sentences in the week after an unexpected football loss by Louisiana State University, according to a working paper by two Louisiana State University economics professors. The average length of dispositions—which included probation and custody—was 513 days for the juveniles studied. But that average increased…

Sep 8, 2016 8:00 AM CDT

This Indiana county sends more people to prison than San Francisco

America’s prison population is on the decline amid a push to reduce mass incarceration. But the trend is not being followed in less populous counties, where people are about 50 percent more likely to go to prison than those in large counties. Exemplifying the small-county zealousness is Dearborn County, Indiana,…

Sep 6, 2016 8:00 AM CDT

Court fines and fees trap juvenile defendants in cycle of debt, new study finds

A report says fines and fees for juveniles who get in trouble with the law trap them in debt and push them toward recidivism. The report (PDF) was published Thursday by the Juvenile Law Center, a Philadelphia public interest law firm for children and teens. It also contends that obligations…

Sep 2, 2016 4:00 PM CDT

Obama commutes 111 federal sentences and sets a one-month record

President Obama on Tuesday commuted the sentences of 111 federal inmates, setting a record for the most number of commutations in a single month. Obama had granted commutations to 214 federal inmates earlier this month, bringing the month’s total to 325, according to a post at the White House blog…

Aug 30, 2016 3:43 PM CDT

Judge cites ‘callous’ crime in sentencing ex-lawyer to life for attack on law firm partner, wife

A judge in Fairfax County, Virginia, agreed with jurors’ recommendation on Friday and sentenced former lawyer Andrew Schmuhl to two life sentences plus 98 years in prison for an attack on a law firm managing partner and his wife. Judge Randy Bellows said the November 2014 attack on Leo Fisher…

Aug 29, 2016 2:47 PM CDT