Sentencing/Post Conviction

Maximum sentence sought in shooting of Chicago honor student; defense says politics at play

Michael Ward, 18, and Kenneth Williams, 20, have been charged with first-degree murder, two counts of attempted murder and aggravated battery with a firearm, in the shooting death of Chicago honor student Hadiya Pendleton. The duo—who were taken into custody just hours after first lady Michelle Obama and other dignitaries…

Feb 13, 2013 9:30 PM CST

3-strike sentences cut for 5 inmates, judge reconsiders life terms of more than 1,000 others

A California judge has reduced punishments for five inmates convicted of relatively minor crimes. Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge William C. Ryan is responsible for reconsidering the life prison terms of more than 1,000 offenders sentenced for non-serious and nonviolent offenses, under the recently approved Proposition 36, the Los…

Feb 13, 2013 4:00 PM CST

Family lawyer convicted of murdering client and her young daughter

A Chicago family lawyer accused of killing a client and her 10-month-old daughter was convicted of two counts of murder Tuesday night. A jury deliberated only about four hours before finding Fredrick Goings guilty in the Cook County Circuit Court case, the Chicago Tribune reports. Goings and his client, Nova…

Feb 13, 2013 11:40 AM CST

Man who punched his own lawyer is convicted, gets 34 years, plus 6 months, and faces new charges

A man who punched his own lawyer in the face last week when the attorney argued against the client’s desire to fire him has been acquitted on an an attempted murder count even though he subsequently appeared in front of the Ohio jury in restraints. But Dionte Lummus was convicted…

Feb 11, 2013 11:30 PM CST

Did Charles Manson commit more ‘Helter Skelter’ murders? Lawyer’s tape suggests he may have

As California’s governor mulls a state parole board recommendation that could result in the first release of a convicted member of the notorious Charles Manson “family” responsible for the “Helter Skelter” murders of actress Sharon Tate and others during the late 1960s, a lawyer’s audiotape is raising questions about whether…

Feb 11, 2013 10:45 PM CST

Death row inmate gets a reprieve over execution drug’s provenance

A federal judge has canceled next week’s scheduled execution of a Louisiana man because the state hasn’t provided the defense with enough information about its planned execution protocol. Christopher Sepulvado, 69, was scheduled to be executed Wednesday for the 1992 murder of his 6-year-old stepson, Wesley Mercer, who was beaten…

Feb 8, 2013 6:02 PM CST

Closed hearings, sealed docs and gag order as convicted Chandra Levy killer seeks new trial

Closed-door hearings are expected to continue concerning a convicted killer’s request for a new trial in the high-profile Chandra Levy murder case, after the District of Columbia Court of Appeals agreed with a trial judge Thursday that the safety of a witness justified sealing documents for a limited time. It…

Feb 8, 2013 4:51 PM CST

Judge censured for comments he made to defendant sentenced to ‘rot in prison’

An Oregon judge was censured (PDF) by the Oregon Supreme Court on Thursday for comments he made when sentencing a defendant to life in prison for his sexual abuse of two 12-year-old boys. Jackson County Circuit Court Judge Tim Barnack said at the sentencing that defendant Richard Lee Taylor, then…

Feb 8, 2013 12:50 PM CST

Pregnant prison guard carrying inmate’s baby charged with sexual abuse

A federal prison guard who is eight months pregnant has been arrested on charges of having sex with the inmate whose baby she is carrying. Nancy Gonzalez was arraigned Tuesday in federal court in Brooklyn, N.Y., on charges of sexual abuse of a person in custody, which stems from the…

Feb 7, 2013 7:41 PM CST

Former Drew Peterson lawyer sues onetime co-counsel and news outlets for libel

An Illinois lawyer who represented Drew Peterson in a high-profile murder trial last year has filed a libel suit against another attorney for the now-convicted wife killer and and local news media involved in covering the trial. Joel Brodsky contends in the suit that Steven Greenberg, who also represented Peterson,…

Feb 7, 2013 1:30 PM CST

Rare court of inquiry is convened over judge’s work as a prosecutor in 1987 murder case

A Texas judge is facing a rare court of inquiry concerning his long-ago work, as a state prosecutor, in a murder case. If the judge overseeing the inquiry determines that district judge Ken Anderson of Williamson County acted improperly while serving as district attorney for the county, he could potentially…

Feb 5, 2013 7:05 PM CST

Mistaken release of convicted murderer blamed on paperwork error

Updated: The Cook County Jail in Chicago mistakenly released an Indiana man who was in court last week to appear on local armed violence and drug charges. Instead of returning to jail after those charges were dismissed on Wednesday, Steven Robbins was released. Robbins was supposed to be in an…

Feb 4, 2013 2:14 PM CST

Working for free: Lawyers incorporating pro bono into their lives talk about its rewards, challenges

Over the years, and especially during the last several decades, pro bono legal service has taken many forms.

A lawyer files an insurance claim for a neighbor after a fire. Two attorneys help a group of Vietnam veterans get recognized as a nonprofit by the IRS. The general counsel of a corporation joins a charity board. A large firm, better known for its work on mergers and acquisitions, files a death penalty appeal. A local tax lawyer runs for the school board.

Once perceived and defined as “charity work” governed solely by personal conscience, pro bono has evolved into a professional responsibility and a powerful force inside the practice of law.

Feb 1, 2013 11:20 AM CST

Female-Focused: Northwestern’s Center for Wrongful Convictions launches a groundbreaking project

Joyce Ann Brown spent more than nine years in prison for the aggravated robbery of a Dallas fur store during which the owner was murdered. Brown was freed in 1989 after a jailhouse snitch claiming Brown had admitted her role in the robbery was found to have perjured herself at…

Feb 1, 2013 10:10 AM CST

With prison orange under caps and gowns, adult inmates graduate from jailhouse charter school

Frederick Releford’s mom leaned on a cane Tuesday as she watched her 49-year-old son, wearing a cap and gown over his orange prison garb, walk across a stage along with others in his 20-member class at the San Francisco County Jail in San Bruno, Calif., to accept his high school…

Jan 30, 2013 6:18 PM CST