innocence
The presumption of innocence is a cornerstone of the American legal system and a right that should not be taken for granted.
Convicted of Murder Without Murdering
Yup, that’s right, you can be convicted of murder without killing anyone! A ridiculous statement, no? Yet, it’s not only accurate, but it is also one that has been used again and again throughout this country’s criminal justice system. Let me give you some pared-down factual examples here in Nebraska, the Heartland, where our state’s motto is Equity Before the Law.
By Jason Witmer5 years ago in Criminal
The Innocence Of Oscar Slater, And How Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Helped Set Him Free.
December 21st 1908. The biting chill of a Glasgow December wielded it’s glacial grasp on the home of Marion Gilchrest. She lay in a pool of her own blood. Clear signs of physical beating besieged her face. Dead before her discovery at the hands of her servant – Helen Lambie. The 82 year old had amassed a hefty fortune over her lifetime and, in turn, quite the collection of jewels. This, seemingly the motive for such a heinous act of violence. This further evident when Gilchrest’s horrified maid credited a single article missing amongst her collection of jewels. One golden brooch. A piece in the shape of a crescent moon, with several diamonds tracking down one side. Such an article, at the time, approximately valued £3,000 – hundreds of thousands when adjusting to today's inflation. The foundations of such a transgression seems torn from the pages of a turn of the century crime novel. A story from the genius of Agatha Christie, or Raymond Chandler. But this was far from fiction. Ironically, with the venomous tentacles of prejudice, it took one of the genre’s best to bring the investigation back to reality. The real-life work of an iconic author to save the life of a wrongfully convicted man. This author, Sherlock Holmes’ Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
By Martin S. Wathen5 years ago in Criminal
Herstory is Our Story
Alright, now breathe! In and out. In and out. My anxiety hasn’t gotten the better of me since law school, but I knew it would be back with a vengeance today. The incident in school lead to a midnight trip to the emergency room where an RN told me I was fine and just low on potassium. She sent me home with a banana and a large bill, but that is a story for a different day. Luckily, I invested in therapy and learned a couple tricks to come back to reality. The anticipation of today alone is shaking my heart and fogging up my lungs. Breathe in, breathe out, A – Anteaters, B-Bingo, C-Cantaloupe, D-Dynamite… I’m here, back in the court room.
By Katie Bolger5 years ago in Criminal
Hit & Miss
It was the perfect morning for a run. I had my music blasting in my ear buds and had kept a good pace all morning. I rounded the corner on my street that had a solid row of trees lining each side of the road for the final stretch to my house. The closer I got, my neighbor Phil reading the newspaper on his front porch came into view. He waved as I slowed and walked up the walkway to the shared porch of our condos.
By Haley Bjornberg5 years ago in Criminal
The Little Black Book
She was looking for something sharp. The room was dark, with a sliver of sunshine creeping in through the boarded window. Specks of dust clouded the air with every movement Dylan made, making it difficult to breathe. She exhaled slowly, trying to steady her breath as the claustrophobia began to creep in. But now was not the time to allow her panic to consume her. She knew she only had five minutes, maybe ten, at most, before her boss returned home. She began to push through the clutter in the attic. Tattered books with broken spines, worn black cushions, boxes of musty smelling clothing and antique furniture pressed up against the walls where the once-white paint cracked and peeled. Moving as swiftly as she could toward the window, she opened one drawer after another, stumbling over the objects as she went. Cursing as her toe caught on a floorboard, she spotted it. In a long-forgotten corner of the room, a lone screwdriver peeking out at her. Snatching it up, she turned her focus to the rusty steel panel almost perfectly concealed behind the burgundy dresser behind her.
By Kenzie Clarke5 years ago in Criminal
