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The legal system in Texas is littered with wrongful convictions and the sad stories of defendants who have languished in prisons for crimes they did not commit. The case of Daniel Villegas appears to fall into an all too familiar pattern. As a young and vulnerable suspect he claimed detectives intimidated him into confessing to…
Thousands of people buy and sell items or advertise services on Craigslist every day says Dallas Criminal lawyer Clint Broden. Although most transactions go without a hitch, Craigslist has also proved to be a medium for crimes, both premeditated and spontaneous. The Dallas Morning News recently reported on how a man in the city pulled…
A society in which almost everybody has a video camera on their cell phone has highlighted some crimes in a way that would never have happened two decades ago. It also raises some questions about trial by social media. In Houston, Texas, an alleged attack on a teenage girl by a schoolmate went viral attracting…
Texas executed more prisoners than any other state in 2013, but the use of capital punishment declines here as well as in the rest of the U.S. according to a new study. The annual report from the Death Penalty Information Center (DPIC) revealed 39 prisoners were executed in the United States in 2013. The figure…
Cases in which teachers are accused of being involved in sexual relationships with students invariably make headlines. Recently a Wylie High School teacher was arrested following allegations that she had a relationship with a 17-year-old boy, the Dallas Morning News reported. Kristin Sims, 33 resigned as an English teacher last Wednesday following her arrest for…
A high profile drunken driving case has made national headlines in Texas after a teen driver who killed four pedestrians while driving under the influence of alcohol, avoided jail time. The trial of 16-year-old Ethan Couch attracted a massive level of media attention after a psychologist argued he was suffering from “Affluenza,” a condition in…
Fraud can take many forms in Texas, ranging from multi-million dollar white collar crimes to one woman workers’ compensation scams. In a recent case a woman was sentenced to four years in prison for taking part in workers’ compensation fraud. The Bexar County 379th District Court recently convicted Lakeisha Stevens of San Antonio, Texas of…
Evidence gathered by the police and other investigative agencies is usually the most important factor in any criminal trial. But what happens when police officers are untruthful in their accounts? As criminal defense attorneys, we are acutely aware that unreliable evidence from police officers is more common than many members of the public believe. Recently,…
A recent sentencing in Texas demonstrates the stiff penalties that can face those accused of distributing child pornography online. The Dallas Morning News reported on how a sex offender from Arlington was sentenced to 40 years in prison on November 15, 2013, after he admitted sharing child pornography online. Recently we noted how the FBI…
New technology changes rapidly and so do crimes associated with it. In a recent report MSN.com reported on how the FBI has added five alleged cybercriminals to its “most wanted” list. They include a former San Diego college student who developed a program called “Loverspy” or “Email PI.” The operation is said to have been…