Notable Cases
Scroll to learn about a few of our wins:
United States v. Ramos
Charge: Second Degree Murder
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Result: Not Guilty
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Mr. Ramos was arrested for the murder of a female neighbor. The key evidence against him was his DNA found on the victim's body and at the scene. Mr. Ramos first went to trial with another criminal defense attorney and was found guilty by a 10-2 nonunamimous jury verdict. When the United States Supreme Court reversed his life sentence and ruled that a jury must be 12-0 unanimous to convict, Mr. Ramos got a new trial. He hired us. We re-tried the case, successfully challenged the DNA evidence, and a unanimous jury found Mr. Ramos not guilty.
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State v. Lindsey
Charge: Vehicular Homicide
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Result: Not Guilty
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Mr. Lindsey -- a college student with no criminal record -- was facing a 5-40 year sentence for hitting and killing a pedestrian while driving his friends home on Mardi Gras morning. A breath test after the accident showed his blood alcohol level over the legal limit. We proved that the police did not follow the proper procedures for sobriety testing, and we hired our own expert who discovered that the breathalyzer results were not reliable or accurate. After less than an hour of deliberations, a jury unanimously found Mr. Lindsey not guilty.
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State v. Givens
Charge: Second Degree Rape
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Result: Not Guilty
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Mr. Givens was a college student when he and another young man were accused of rape by a female classmate. They faced 5-40 years in prison. Even though the accuser reported the alleged rape to police immediately, we were able to prove that the sex was consensual. Our investigation revealed cell phone video, social media posts, and contradictory stories from the accuser that convinced the jury Mr. Givens was not guilty.
State v. Strickland
Charge: Second Degree Murder & Second Degree Cruelty to a Juvenile
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Result: Dismissed
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Mr. Strickland was facing life in prison, charged with killing his own infant daughter by "shaken baby syndrome." Multiple doctors and the coroner concluded that the bleeding and swelling in her head could only be caused by violence. We hired our own medical professionals to review the case, and we spent months becoming experts ourselves in the scientific theories the prosecution relied on. During a three-day hearing, we cross-examined all the state's doctors, showed their conclusions were wrong, and proved that the cause of death was disease and genetics, not murder. The District Attorney had no choice but to dismiss the charges.
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United States v. Morrison
Charge: Conspiracy to Distribute Drugs, Possession with Intent to Distribute Drugs, Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of Drug Trafficking, Possession of a Firearm by Felon ​
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Result: Not Guilty of all charges except Possession of a Firearm
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Mr. Morrison was charged by the Federal Government along with four other defendants with being part of a large-scale drug trafficking conspiracy, and using a gun in furtherance of the conspiracy. He was facing decades or even life in prison. The Government offered him a deal before trial to plead guilty for a lesser sentence. Mr. Morrison said no. At trial, we convinced a federal jury that he was wrongfully charged with all the drug conspiracy crimes. He was only convicted of one charge for possession of a firearm found lawfully in his home.
State v. Alexcee
Charge: Malfeasance in Office ​
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Result: Dismissed
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Ms. Alexcee was a sheriff's deputy working in the jail when a young inmate tragically committed suicide. The state charged her with felony malfeasance for allegedly failing to follow jail procedures for checking on the inmate. We did extensive pre-trial litigation, filing motions for particulars and a motion to quash (dismiss). We proved that Ms. Alexcee was not properly trained or supervised, and that her actions were not criminal. The Trial Court agreed and granted our motion. The state appealed twice. We won both appeals and the charge was dismissed.
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State v. Dingle
Charge: Second Degree Murder
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Result: Hung Jury
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Mr. Dingle was facing life in prison, charged with second degree murder for shooting a man on the mardi gras parade route. Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams personally tried the case against us, arguing that Mr. Dingle was guilty of murder because he shot the victim multiple times with no justification. We showed that the police investigation was grossly incomplete, and presented testimony from witnesses that Mr. Dingle acted in self defense and defense of others. The jury deadlocked, and there was no conviction. It is the only case DA Williams has personally tried that did not result in a conviction.
State v. Tolliver
Charge: Second Degree Murder, Obstruction of Justice, Felon in Possession of a Firearm​
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Result: Not Guilty
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Mr. Tolliver was charged with second degree murder for allegedly shooting an unarmed man in a gas station parking lot. The shooting was on surveillance video, license plate readers placed Mr. Tolliver's car at the scene, and an eyewitness testified that Mr. Tolliver was the shooter. The state's plea offer before trial was 30 years in prison. Mr. Tolliver said no. At trial we undermined the surveillance video and license plate evidence, and we proved the eyewitness was unreliable. A unanimous jury found Mr. Tolliver not guilty.
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State v. Carey
Charge: Possession of a Firearm by a Felon
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Result: Dismissed
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Mr. Carey was at an apartment complex with some friends when police responded to a tip that men matching their description were engaged in criminal activity. The police detained Mr. Carey and his friends, questioned them, and searched them. They found an illegal gun in Mr. Carey's waistband. We filed a motion to suppress the gun, and used body camera video to prove the police had no probable cause for the search and never read Mr. Carey his Miranda rights. The Trial Court granted our motion to suppress the evidence and the case was dismissed.
State v. M. S.
Charge: Second Degree Rape, Second Degree Kidnapping​
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Result: Dismissed
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M. S. was charged with rape and kidnapping after a female acquaintance claimed he drugged and raped her in her home. We used text messages, toxicology testing, and other evidence to prove that the accuser's story was a lie to cover up her own infidelity. The judge agreed and dismissed the kidnapping charge on his own. The state dismissed the rape charge before we had a chance to go to trial. After the dismissal, we successfully filed a motion to expunge the arrest record.
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State v. Scott
Charge: Possession of a Firearm by a Felon, Possession of Drugs
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Result: Dismissed
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Mr. Scott was facing 5-20 years for possession of a firearm and drugs. The police detained him while he was in a public area, claiming he was standing near a car that looked like one recently reported stolen. They searched him and found an illegal firearm and drugs. We filed a motion to suppress the gun and drugs. At the hearing we aggressively cross examined the officer. We showed that the police lied about the description of the stolen car and used excessive force against Mr. Scott during the arrest. The judge found no probable cause, suppressed the evidence, and the case was dismissed.
State v. C. K.
Charge: Sexual Malfeasance in Office, Sexual Conduct Between Student and Educator ​
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Result: Misdemeanor plea and Expungement
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C. K. was a teacher in a jail facility. She was publicly fired, arrested, and charged with a felony for allegedly having sexually inappropriate phone conversations with one of the student inmates. She was facing jail time and mandatory sex offender registration. We provided the District Attorney with overwhelming evidence of her good character, lifetime of public service and excellence as an educator, and highlighted evidentiary problems with the evidence against her. The state agreed to reduce the charge to a misdemeanor that did not require sex offender registration. C. K. paid a fine, completed probation, and then we had the case expunged.
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State v. Harvey
Charge: Battery on a Dating Partner Causing Serious Bodily Injury, Discharging a Weapon During a Violent Crime
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Result: Dismissed
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Ms. Harvey was facing 10-20 years for shooting her girlfriend in the back of the head. The police found surveillance video of the shooting. We conducted our own investigation – preserving video from other locations, and interviewing the victim and other witnesses – to prove that Ms. Harvey was not the initial aggressor in the altercation. We did extensive research on self defense, justification, and “stand your ground” laws in Louisiana. We used that law and evidence to persuade the District Attorney that Ms. Harvey was justified in firing her weapon. The case was dismissed with no criminal conviction.
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