May was the month the largest identity theft case in Hawaii started, this included dozens of victims on Oahu, Honolulu and Manhattan Beach, Southern California.
According to the Chief of the Honolulu prosecutor’s office Christopher Van Marter this is the largest case of identity theft they have prosecuted, due to the number of credit card issuers and the 122 numbers of offenses. The former Miss Hawaii International Susan Shaw is scheduled to begin her trial for an alleged charge of identity theft on July 20th in Circuit Court. For her part, Shaw if convicted could be sentenced to life in prison according to Van Marter. Shaw has also been convicted of a 1993 theft at the Holiday Mart store. She needs counseling, in my humble opinion. Speaking of that, if you happen to need credit counseling then I recommend this resource. All in all, they can really help you with Debt Relief, credit counseling and also Debt consolidation services. Shaw was convicted of theft in the second degree in March of 1994. The sentence Shaw faced in that conviction was five years of probation, and $1,797.08 dollars in fines, she was released from probation on April 26, 1999.
After spending 15 years in prison Bruce Godschalk was released from a Montgomery County jail. Godschalk asked for the assistance of the Innocence Project at Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in New York to represent him in 1995.
The law schools attorneys and local Philadelphia lawyer David Rudovsky fought with the prosecutors’ office to have the DNA evidence released so they could submit it for DNA testing. The DNA testing proved that Godschalk was innocent of the rape charges he had been tried and sentenced to prison. Even a personal injury lawyer could figure that out. Godschalk was convicted in large part on a statement to Upper Merion Township Police Detectives, which he said had been coerced.
The Innocence Project a non profit organization felt Godshalks case showed the need for this type of service in Pennsylvania and have opened the Pennsylvania Innocence Project at Temple University. Where they plan to investigate statewide applications from inmates. As an aside if you need a Philadephia personal injury lawyer please take a look here.
The Innocence Project was started in 1992 by Barry Scheck and Peter Neufeld and according to Eric Ferrero there have been 234 inmates exonerated using DNA evidence across the country. This includes nine inmates that have been released from prison in Pennsylvania after DNA testing proved their innocence. It obviously pays to have a good personal lawyer.
In criminal legal news coming out of Los Angeles, A man identified as Ronald Leroy Berg, age 72, and resident of Westlake was arrested for allegedly stabbing his wife to death. According to reports by the Los Angeles Police Department, Berg walked out of his apartment unit in the 300 block of South Commonwealth Avenue when police responded to a call about a stabbing.
by the way should you happen to need the services of a top drawer Los Angeles criminal defense attorney then I highly recommend the Law Offices of Ramiro Luis. He is certainly one of the best Los Angeles criminal defense attorney operating in Southern California and is standing by to assist you with abroad range of different types of criminal related cases including identity theft, White Collar Crimes or even Internet/Cyber Crimes.
When police entered the apartment they found Violeta Alonte Monleon Berg age 69 lying on the floor with multiple stab wounds. According to the Los Angeles Police Violeta was pronounced dead at the apartment unit where the stabbing took place.
Violeta was married to Berg for approximately twenty years and when the 72 year old Berg found out she was going to leave him it is alleged he stabbed her according to officials.
Berg was booked murder charges and is being held in lieu of the $1 million dollar bail that was set for him. This guy needs a good attorney for sure.
I just got back from my Chicago journey but I wanted to comment on the progress of a rather startling Florida legal case in progress which I happen to have some personal interest in. It has nothing to do with workers comp or employment news but I still thought it was very interesting.
It is about a teen who caused an injury that led to his murder charge. Jury selection in the Hernandez murder trial is being held in Orlando since the trial was moved there from Miami so Hernandez could receive a fair trial.
Hernandez is on trial for the murder of 14 year old Jamie Gough when both were middle school students at Southwood Middle School. Hernandez allegedly stabbed Gough and slit his throat in a bathroom at the school, Hernadez then when on to class.
The teens lawyer (actually the teen has more than 1 attorney) is claiming he was mentally ill at the time he caused personal injury and murdered Gough, and the prosecutors in the case offered Hernandez a deal of 40 years in prison if he pleaded guilty. This deal is based on confessions that Hernandez made following the murder of Gough in which he explained in detail how he committed the murder. By the way if if you requre a solid and very reputable Chicago personal Injury attorney then might I recommend the Law Offices of John Budin. He is a particularly good choice if you hang your hat either in Chicago or the surrounding region and you require a good Chicago personal injury attorney since he is one of the better ones serving this competitive region overall.
The police also confiscated a journal written by Hernandez that had a list of people that he also wanted to kill along with other information. It is also stated that Hernandez did not want anyone else to see the journal out of embarrassment and they might believe him to be a serial killer, among those named on his list was his older sister.
The judge in the case, John Schlesinger is reported as speaking with Hernandez after prosecutors offered him a deal and to explain to him what it could mean if he did not take this deal, that he could spend life in prison without parole. He needs a qualified attorney for sure.
I just got back from Houston so it is back to the blogging…..In legal news out of the state of the Mile High City of Denver, according to some reports Sarah Berry, who is a co-defendant in the starvation case of seven year old Chandler Grafner, has changed her plea to guilty. This comes as her trial is about to start and the fate of the other defendant in the case is in the hands of the jury.
This change in Berry’s plea occurred in the District Court, in an agreement where all the other charges will be dropped against her and she must serve some forty-eight years to the sentence for pleading guilty to second degree murder charges.
The case overall generally focuses on the starvation related fatality which happened on May 6, 2007 of Chandler Gafner, a boy who was in the custody of Berry’s boyfriend Jon Phillips. When he died he reportedly weighted 34 pounds and had just turned seven years old.
Jon Phillips is currently on trial charged with first degree murder, child abuse resulting in death and tampering with evidence and is now in the hands of jurors after testimony from witnesses including Phillips family that testified against Phillips.
The younger brother of Chandler also has talked with one officers from the police department Detective Ken Klaus. Dominick, who is now 6 years old, told Klaus that Chandler was made to stay in a room closet to eat, sleep and as a rest room. When this closet was tested there bottom of the closet tested positive for human fecal matter. I am not sure how the lawyer for the defendent responded to that one.
Phillips brother testified that he saw a faint black eye on the child during an Easter dinner when the child was forced to eat oatmeal as a punishment while the family ate roast pork. This helped to spur action in the case, which has outraged many in the Mile High City. By the way if you happen to live either in the city of Houston, texas or the surrounding are and you need an outstanding Houston Accident Lawyers then you may wish to try the law offices of this fine firm. They are very experienced Houston accident lawyers who covers most of Harris County, as well as Houston proper itself and can also cover you in wrongful death as well personal injury cases as well as auto and motorcycle accident cases. Alright now back to the prime story here: I do not know about you but this case really sickens me I must say. How could you do this to such a helpless child i wonder/ it seems inhuman really if you ask me. I think she should probably be required to do the full sentence buit then again I am not the judge or jury so my opinion here does not count.
In recent legal news out of the beautiful state of Hawaii, a 56 year old minister has been indicted by a Grand Jury with 7 counts of first and second degree assault charges for apparently molesting one of his parishioners kids. The man has been identified as Manuel Guillermo Taboada and his nickname is apparently Memo, according to various reports.
This comes after the Monday arrest of Taboada which took place at the Honolulu International Airport. There are some questions as to whether he was trying to actually evade authorities in this case. He is now being held on a sizeable two million dollars bail. It is speculation at this point in time of course but the high bail amount appears to possibly be due to the possibility of the defendent fleeing the state or perhaps even the country. Of course, the defendent is innocent untill proven guilty by a judge or jury of his peers, should he or his lawyer choose this option.
According to the online and printed news articles, the victime in question has said that she and her family lived with Taboada in a house in the city of Kane’ohe which is also included in the court records. At this time there have been no reports of actual personal injury to the girl, at least not ona physical level, but not all the facts are yet known in this sensitive case.
The molestation allegedly took place during an 8 year period that began when the victim was just twelve years old.
It is reported that the authorities in Hawaii are likewise working with their counterparts in the city of Portland with additional allegations. There is no report on the extent of the allegations or the number of alleged victims that have come forth. Incidentially By the way if you require a Hawaii personal injury lawyer you may want to consider Dan Pagliarini. He is a leading personal injury lawyer in Hawaii. It should be noted that
regarding his personal injury clients there is simply no fee involved if there is no recovery
Members Taboada’s ministry are very surpised and Alex McAngus who is the Chaplin for the Waikiki Chapaincy Ministry where Taboada is also a member stated it was a thunderbolt to him.
It has also been found that Taboada made regular trips to Oregon and Arizona and that in the wake of these allegations some members of the congregation have left Hawaii. The defendents house in Kane’ohe is also up for sale, by the way.
During a court preceding according to Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Vickie Kapp the victim was warned by Taboada that if she reported the molestation to anyone the ministry would fall apart when the molestation began in 1999.
Susan Atkins who has spent 37 years in prison has just been turned down for the 12th time and will according to family members die there within the year. Atkins is reportedly suffering from brain cancer at age 60.
Atkins is the Charles Manson follower who was convicted of the murder of Sharon Tate and her unborn child, along with seven other murders during the summer of 1969.
According to reports there was testimony from 18 out of 23 witnesses who said she should be released, while the Los Angeles County District Attorneys Office prosecutor Patrick Sequeria stated that justice was served. He stated that her release would disrespect family members of the victims and would also be offensive to the California criminal justice system. He went on to say that Atkins had received a break by the justice system when her death sentence was over turned in 1972 to life imprison. By the way if you happen to live in the San Jose area and you require a first rate San Jose Criminal Defense Attorney then by all means take a look at the Law Offices of Edward N. Ajlouny. In addition to being a wonderful San Jose Criminal Defense Attorney he also covers the San Francisco area and is a California Domestic violence attorney as well. Though based in San Jose he covers most of the bay area generally including Santa Clara, Sunnyvale, Palo Alto, Gilroy, Los Gatos and also Mountain View. BAck to the article:
It has also been reported that the California Board of Parole Hearing eleven members spent several hours deciding the fate of Atkins before the decision to deny her parole, it is reported that it was a unanimous vote. The friends and relatives of Susan Atkins who is now 60 have stated that she is not expected to live through the year due to her brain cancer. Atkins is currently hospitalized in Southern California near the prison where she was held prior to her illness.
There was a motion filed in the Los Angeles County Superior Court by Atkins attorney Eric Lampel and he has stated they will proceed without the parole board’s recommendation to release Atkins.
In a strange criminal justice story from out of the San Francisco bay area, a woman who is suspected in the 1988 murder of a San Francisco police officer has been released from prison in Florida and turned over to ICE custody. The woman has been identified as one Catherine Kuntz. She is age 44 and is also a Scottish citizen, according to the reports.
Kuntz is suspected of the murder of a San Francisco police officer and Concord resident Lester Garnier. All told, officer Garnier was found in a parking lot of the Ross Clothing Store chain, having apparently died from recieving gun shot wounds. By the way, the authorities are seeking the public’s help in obtaining additional information on the case. So far one witness has told them after the gun fire that they saw a woman get out of the car he was driving.
The gun that shot the fatal shots which killed Garnier in this appalling murder case has been identified as an AMT semiautomatic pistol. This information was obtained from a report directly from the Walnut Creek Police Department.
Kuntz, who was living in the area at the time has a long and sordid criminal history of prostitution and drugs, and one of her finger prints was found on Garnier’s car. All in all, the San Francisco Police department has expended six years investigating why the fingerprint in question was found on the car and how she is actually involved in the murder. By the way if you have been involved in an injury and require the services of an outstanding San Francisco Personal Injury Lawyer
then by all means take a look at the law Offices of Scott Righthand. He is easily one of the top
San Francisco Personal Injury Lawyer out there and he serves Oakland as well. Now back to the story at hand:
Along the way there have been a lot of strange twists indeed as this winding road of an investigation has progressed. To this date the police department has not announced an actual direct connection per say between Kuntz and Garnier’s murder and with her in the custody of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement it will be determined if she is eligible for deportation according to their spokes person in their Miami office, Nicole Navas.
Some of the other charges that Kuntz has faced have been a one year sentence for cocaine possession, which was the most recent of all the charges against her. In addition to this, she was tried in Virginia for attempted murder and arranging the murder of Gregory Kuntz, her husband. A real black widow, this one. However, in a rather bizarre twist on an otherwise strange case, Kuntz was acquitted after her husband testified in her defense. Why he did so was a mystery, but he may not have been aware of all the facts. maybe she promised to cancel the contract that was out on his life if he did.
According to reports a warrant was issued for a man that Portland police have identified as Robert Abner, age 39. Charges that Abner will face when he is arrested consist of two counts of aggravated criminal sodomy, one count of aggravated robbery, one count of aggravated kidnapping and seven counts of rape. This reminds me of a case in Baltimore, maryland from a while back that I happen to recall.
Abner is also wanted for questioning in the disappearance of a woman from Viola, which the warrant includes.
It is believed that Abner maybe headed toward Eugene Oregon, which is his birthplace, and he may have contacts there according to the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Department. Their description of him is a white man 6 feet tall and 300 pounds with brown eyes and hair, along with a possible mustache or beard. He is also believed to be driving a 1995 blue Lexus SC 400 that has Kansas’s license plates. It is also believed that the front seat of the vehicle is possibly missing.
These are the type of charges that can be prosecuted under Measure 11 that will have a mandatory sentence for each charge that it is tried under these sentencing guidelines. A defendant that is not properly represented may feel the full effect of the sentencing in their criminal trial and with more than one charge that qualifies to be tried using Measure 11 it could be more than a life sentence. In these particular types of cases it is extremely important to be represented properly by a legal counsel, and if you happen to require a Maryland injury lawyer who can make all the difference to a good outcome in your case, and this one is also a Baltimore accident attorney as well. The Maryland injury lawyer will make sure you are given all your constitutional rights so that a substantial amount of years in jail might be avoided it take a lawyer with experience and one who knows the laws, this is a Portland criminal defense trial lawyer.
I just got back from Dallas to see the attorney over there, time to get trucking over here though. When a person breaks the law and is arrested and it is a criminal offense that is a felony offense because these are crimes that are in nature more serious than other criminal incidents. They also are crimes that can be tried in a state criminal court or they can be tried in a federal court depending on the type of charge the defendant has been arrested. All in all, this is when they usually lookf for an attorney ot lawyer. In either of these criminal type of cases when it occurs in Denver the defendant will need the assistance of the most experienced Denver criminal defense attorney that is available. This type of case can often conclude with a jail or prison sentence and fines, which means the defendant needs the proper representation or the sentence can be of a longer prison duration and larger fine. if you need a good Dallas criminal defense attorney then take a look here.
This is a serious type of criminal defense issue and a trial will ensue with a judge and jury who will determine the fate for possibly years to come in the life of the defendant and this is why an experienced criminal attorney is needed that knows and understands the proceedings and the laws in felony cases.
When the defendant has to begin the process in either court there is a process and this process works in steps beginning with the arrest, then there will be an arraignment, a preliminary hearing, a grand jury, and the indictment. The next step in these cases is the plea, and then there will be a pre trial and a trial. Then there will be either an acquittal or a conviction, this will begin the sentencing phase, and then there are also appeals when necessary. This can make the length of a criminal case months or years to come to the final conclusion with a final decision, also depending on how good the defense attorney in the case happens to be.
With this long and drawn out process is where the old adage comes about a man defending himself, for this process it takes the courtroom experience and knowledge of each law that can apply to the crime in question. This is why when a defendant is arrested in Dallas for example they know they are in need of a good attorney to ensure they have the best representation they can have, whether it be a DUI, DWI or some kind of other criminal defense related matter. Because when it is this type of a case it can mean your freedom for years to come without being properly represented and this means it is not a legal matter that can be treated lightly.
