Recent Blog Posts
When a Criminal Offense becomes a Hate Crime
The small Gulf town of Portland, Texas, near Corpus Christi, found itself in the national news yesterday, June 26, as major news sources reported the weekend shooting of two teenage women, ages 18 and 19, from the area. (ABC News; CBS News; CNN) One woman was found already dead, and the other woman is… Read More »
Accomplice to Murder Executed under Texas “Law of Parties”
Beunka Adams was executed on April 26th for his role in a 2002 robbery, abduction and shooting which left one man dead. Although it was never proved at trial that Adams was the actual shooter, his death sentence came about as a result of being charged under Texas’ “law of parties,” which allows an… Read More »
First Degree Murder in Texas
ABC 13 KTRK-TV reported today that a jury has convicted a Houston drug dealer of first degree murder, sentencing him to 45 years in prison for killing an unarmed man. The shooting, which occurred in August 2009, involved an argument over a drug deal in which the victim and the defendant got into a… Read More »
From Breathalyzer to Blood Test: Sobriety Testing in Texas Gets Serious
Many have heard of the so-called loophole in DWI law and prosecution involving the refusal to take a breathalyzer test. In Texas, you do have the right to refuse to take a breathalyzer if you are stopped on suspicion of drunk driving. Refusal usually comes with a 180 day driver’s license suspension; however, the… Read More »