Situation
A 19-year-old Missouri man was charged with 12 counts of assault, armed criminal action and unlawful use of a weapon. If convicted, he faced at least 15 years in prison – and possibly a life term. The case was referred to Husch Blackwell through the Missouri Coalition for the Right to Counsel, a pro bono program designed to ease the workload of the state public defender’s office.
Result
During the three-day trial, we argued that our client was a victim of mistaken identity and that a chief witness was not credible. The jury agreed and returned a verdict of not guilty on all counts after just an hour of deliberation.
Husch Blackwell Team: Kyle P. Seelbach, Jonathan E. Schmalfeld, Shannon D. Peters and paralegal Lisa H. Carter
More details on the case can be found in our news release.