Criminal Law Blog
DA Watch: Death Row’s Henry Skinner sues Fed Prosecutor Lynn Switzer for Withholding DNA Evidence He Says Clears Him
The United States Supreme Court is already considering Henry Skinner’s petition for certiorari (09-7784), which he filed after his 1999 petition for writ of habeas corpus with the Amarillo federal district court (Skinner v. Quartman) was denied, and after the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals initially granted him a certificate of appealability on two issues relating to…
700 Pounds of Marijuana: Hung Jury–Mistrial–Deferred Adjudication
DPS Trooper Seized a “S*** Load of Marijuana”
Crime News: Now We Can’t Trust Fingerprint Evidence Anymore
One thing that we’ve all been conditioned to assume is solid as a rock is fingerprint evidence, right? From today’s CSI shows to the old Dragnet series, we’ve seen the cops come into a TV crime scene with their little brushes and white (or black) powder and voila! the culprit is identified. Well, brace yourself. The Houston…
Jail Watch: Criminal Network In Texas Dept of Criminal Justice System? Texas Rangers Investigate
Right now, one of the biggest news stories we’ve had in years may be breaking – if convicted rapist Arcade Joseph Comeaux is telling the truth. Considering who’s giving his words some weight, looks like he just might be. Huntsville Inmate Arcade Joseph Comeaux Escaped Last Week Last week, Comeaux escaped as he was being transported by…
Cop Watch: Two Independent Incidents of Local Cops Facing Assault Charges, Are Our Cops Dangerous?
While it may be the fodder for many a TV cop show, it’s also the basis of many an academic research study: the behavior of police officers both on and off duty, and how their unique psychological situations may make them more prone to violent behavior. Last week, we had two cops making the news…
Cop Watch: State Agency Bulletin Reveals Texas Police Officers May Not Know Current Laws
You leave your house to go to work, to school, to the grocery store. And you assume that the police officer parked at the intersection or standing watch on the corner knows his stuff. He or she is there to protect and serve, and you’re confident that they know the laws that they are enforcing. …
DA Watch: Dallas DA Watkins’ Wife Works for 7 Judges Watkins Goes Before in Criminal Cases and DMN Is Crying Foul
Different parts of the state do things differently, and here in Dallas the way that criminal case workloads are distributed among the courts is through assigning certain judges to hear criminal cases specifically. Other judges in other parts of Texas might have a smorgasbord of matters — civil and criminal, probate and family along with…
Cop Watch: Suicide by Cop Happens in Texas – or Does It?
Today, the Texas Rangers are investigating the deaths of two young men who were killed by a policeman’s bullets. A 28-year-old and a 30-year-old both killed by police gunfire in the past two weeks The Rangers are involved in determining what happened in the shooting death of 28 year old Tabaris Brown in Childress, Texas,…
Cop Watch: The Saga of Dallas County Constables Jaime Cortes and Derick Evans – Dan Wyde Enters the Fray
Earlier this month, we looked at Dallas County Constables Jaime Cortes and Derick Evans because they have filed legal arguments with the court (which are set for hearing on November 23rd) that the Dallas County Commissioners do not have the legal right to investigate county constables. Our concern at the time was the taking of the constables’…
Crime Watch: Citizens Face Felony Charges While Illegals Get a Free Pass Thru Deportation
You’d think that someone who had been charged with a serious crime like murder or kidnapping here in Dallas County would have to set in a Texas jail cell until trial, if they couldn’t make bail. And that would be true if they were a U.S. Citizen. If they’re awaiting trial and they’re in this country…
