Blog

May 8, 2018

District Court Judge Lou Olivera, who presides over a treatment court for veterans with mental health issues in Cumberland County, N.C., explains what the court does and what it means to him. (Cumberland County Public Information Office). The judge knew that Sgt. Joseph Serna had been through a lot.

May 8, 2018

“The murder trial for Willie Nathan Jones is underway with opening statements from the defense and prosecution already made Tuesday afternoon. . .”

May 8, 2018

Judge Gary McKenzie ordered a mistrial and dismissed indictments against a Cookeville couple, but District Attorney General Bryant Dunaway said he’ll appeal.

April 27, 2018

On Friday, April 27, 2018, the jury returned a verdict of not guilty of First Degree Murder but convicted Willie Nathan Jones of the lesser included charge of Second Degree Murder and Attempted Second Degree Murder. First Degree Murder carries a penalty of Life Imprisonment. Second Degree Murder carries a penalty of between 15-25 years.

April 20, 2016

Joshua Hurst, a 13-year veteran of the Knoxville Police Department, and seven other people face various drug charges, Knox County District Attorney General Charme Allen said at a news conference Wednesday. The drugs dealt included oxycodone, oxymorphone — both prescription opiates — and methamphetamine, she said, over a span of nearly two years.

March 28, 2016

It’s been a quarter-century since a former criminal defense lawyer sat on the Supreme Court. Since then, crime has fallen by half. Incarceration has risen, then fallen (slightly) again. Americans are becoming more and more critical of the “tough-on-crime” mindset that defined the end of the 20th century, and more skeptical that police and prosecutors will always use their powers for good — in other words, they’re coming in line with how defense lawyers see the world.

July 25, 2013

The trauma nurses who took care of Boston bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev after his arrest have a straightforward explanation. “I don’t get to pick and choose my patients,” one told the Boston Globe.