statements to cops are excluded where the statements stem from an illegal arrest

In 1975, the Supreme Court of the United States held in Brown v. Illinois, 422 U.S. 590 (95 SC 2254, 45 LE2d 416) (1975), statements derived from an illegal arrest or detention should be suppressed where the statements were not ‘sufficiently an act of free will.’  In Brown, the police broke into the defendant’s apartment, […]

Sometimes it is good to be the thief

An Office Depot in Fulton County had video and still photographs, clearly showing Fields’s unobstructed face and body from several angles, stealing laptops. Fields’s features, which matched those of the man in the video, were described by the interviewing officer who identified Fields in the courtroom. Two witnesses testified that Fields appeared to be the […]

The exact language of the indictment or accusation is extremely important as that allegation is what the State must prove

SMITH v. THE STATE, 2011 Ga. App. LEXIS 590, July 1, 2011, the indictment against Smith alleged committed child molestation by “unlawfully perform[ing] an immoral and indecent act upon the person of [A. S.], a child under the age of sixteen (16) years, by placing his penis in her vagina with intent to arouse and […]

Conviction for Kidnapping overturned where asportation (carrying away of victim) was minimal

Since the seminal 2008 case of Garza v. State, 284 Ga. 696, 701-702 (1) (670 SE2d 73) (2008), the courts have held the prosecutors must prove the asportation element of kidnapping. The Courts will look at four factors to determine the sufficiency of the evidence of asportation in kidnapping cases. Those four factors are: (1) […]

First post

In my first post I would like to recognize two of Atlanta’s finest attorneys. It just so happens I work with both of them in my office. Attorney Mike Jacobs is the the epitome of the next generation of great lawyers. Mike Jacobs recently got a murder case dismissed in DeKalb County. It was described […]