In what looked like an impossible hurdle to climb, the law firm of Grabel and Associates shocked the state of Michigan by winning their second decision before the Michigan Supreme Court in less than a 3-week time span when the highest court of the state overturned the “People v. Alexander”…
A man who has been in prison for about 16 years for allegedly raping and murdering a Kalkaska woman in 1996 will now get a new trial thanks to recent testing of DNA evidence, according to a news article at Mlive.com. Jamie Peterson was sentenced to life in prison for…
A Michigan Court of Appeals has ruled that new testimony may be heard in the sexual assault case of Lorinda Swain. Swain is seeking a new trial on sexual assault charges after being convicted by a jury in 2002 of first-degree criminal sexual conduct involving her son. Criminal sexual conduct…
After hearing testimony from Calhoun County prosecutors and representatives from the Michigan Innocence Project, Calhoun County judge Conrad Sindt granted Lorinda Swain a new hearing on charges she sexually assaulted her son nearly ten years ago. If you have been charged with any Michigan sex crime, it is critical to…
In November, the Court of Appeals for Livingston County overturned a jury verdict finding Gary Clinton Owens guilty of second-degree criminal sexual conduct. The Court of Appeals found the combination of prosecutorial misconduct as well as inadequate defense representation required that the conviction be overturned. A new trial date has…
According to the Detroit Free Press, the entire 6th Circuit Court of Appeals will review a 2001 rape conviction. At issue – rape shield laws. Specifically, under what circumstances can the sex life of alleged rape victim be used by the defense at trial. Generally, Michigan law excludes evidence of…
The Michigan Supreme Court has reversed last year’s court of appeal’s decision that a South Lyon man was free to go home because “double-jeopardy” barred him from being tried for a criminal sexual misconduct in Lenawee County. Double jeopardy bars the prosecution of an individual for a crime for which…