A judge has ordered that George Zimmerman, the man charged with killing 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, return to jail within 48 hours after revoking his bond on the grounds that his wife, Shellie, misled the court. Zimmerman, who is pleading not guilty to the charge of second-degree murder and claiming self-defense,…
As the trial for Aaron Duveau, 18, continues, Haverhill police officer Wayne Tracey testified today that the crash was “the worst he had ever seen in his law enforcement career.” Tracey was one of the first to respond to the scene on February 20, 2011 after, as authorities allege, Duveau…
Perhaps this posting should be entitled, “let’s put it this way…”. But then, I am a lawyer, so folks expect me to do things like answer a simple yes or no question with a 157 word response. We have discussed the effects of public opinion on the criminal justice system…
We discussed this case during its trial. You may recall the criminal trial of Mr. Dharun Ravi, 2 years of age and hereinafter, the “Defendant”. Initially, he was accused of bullying because he used a webcam to spy on his Rutgers roommate kissing another man. Shortly after learning about the…
The Boston Criminal Lawyer Blog has repeatedly told you that the participants of the criminal justice system…even the judges…are merely human beings. . However, sometimes appropriate behavior for some folks is inappropriate for others. For example,let’s say that, while driving home one evening, you saw someone who you believed to…
The Massachusetts jury is the subject about which we left off last week. As this week began, the subject matter has become fodder for not only the Boston Criminal Lawyer Blog, but also for the main media and Boston’s Appeals Court. The immediate issue is, in some respects, a new…
The Boston Criminal Lawyer Blog is often complaining that Constitutional rights and criminal justice incidentals like the presumption of innocence are often ignored once a person is accused of a crime. I stand by those complaints, but I often add the proviso that this tends to change somewhat when the…
…And the Boston Criminal Lawyer Blog begins the week with a bit of horror out of Burlington, Massachusetts. According to authorities, Christopher Plantedosi (hereinafter, the “Defendant”) was the featured player in this particular piece of massive ugliness. He is said to have pursued his ex-girlfriend, Kristen Pulisciano, into their daughter’s…
One will never be successful in understanding the criminal justice system, be they lawyer or client, until the varying and conflicting perspectives are understood. The judge, police officer, prosecutor and defense attorney approach the same case from different viewpoints. Therefore, what is “right” to one is not necessarily “right” to…
He is not from Boston, but I am willing to bet that when Dominic Marrtucci (hereinafter, the “Deputy”) left home to go to work at Ohio’s Summit County Sheriff’s Office on April 10 or 11th, he did not go with the intent to do something stupid. Or actionable, for that…