This time the criminal lawyer wasn't paid by the client for his services. This time the defense lawyer was a public defender. Yet, the inadequate job he did representing his client closely resembles the case I blogged about yesterday. In this particular case, a young man, a teenager, was sentenced to prison for 30 years for vehicular homicide. The teen pled no contest to the charge after his lawyer promised him that he wouldn't go to jail.
in the late evening of December 28, 2004, William Thornton was driving home when he skidded through a stop sign and crashed into another vehicle, killing the two occupants. Thornton was not found to be using alcohol or drugs at the time of the accident. He did, however, lack a valid driver's license.
In the hearing that set him free, Thornton told the judge and the prosecutor that he agreed to the plea after he was promised no jail time. In reality, the public defender had not worked out any plea arrangement with the prosecutor. In fact, he took no depositions, didn't interview anyone, didn't investigate the crime scene, didn't take photos of the accident scene, and didn't consult with accident reconstruction experts. In other words, he didn't do his job.
Once the prosecutor and the judge heard the testimony, the prosecutor immediately agreed the judge that the conviction should be set aside. According to his own testimony, this was the public defender's first vehicular homicide case.
Hopefully, we'll all learn some valuable lessons from this tragedy. First, hire a lawyer that's experienced and takes the time to listen. Follow up with your lawyer and become involved by asking questions about the progress of the investigation and/or negotiations. Also, be certain that the lawyer you hire is actively investigating and working the case. If you're charged with a crime, your freedom and future may depend on it!
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