Forensic DNA Testing and the Fourth Amendment
In an article for Vanity Fair, Lili Anolik traced the origins of the reality TV genre of entertainment to the 1995 murder trial of O.J. Simpson. Not only are some of the world’s most famous for being famous reality stars the daughters of Robert Kardashian, one of the criminal defense lawyers who represented Simpson, Anolik […]
Texas Sexual Assault News Roundup: Crossing State Lines
This week’s news items serve as a reminder that sexual assault can happen to anyone, at any age, anywhere. It includes reports of sexual abuse that took place in fraternity houses and in immigrant detention centers, among other places. Additionally, people charged with sexual assault do not fit into a narrow group; despite the media […]
Gabby Sones Clears Parents’ Names After False Allegations of Sexual Abuse
False accusations of sexual abuse are terrible no matter the circumstances. If someone lies about having been the victim of sexual assault just to tarnish the reputation of the alleged perpetrator, then the alleged abuser is alone in his or her ordeal. If, however, a therapist or other adult continually suggests to children that a […]
Is Sex Offender Treatment in Texas Just Imprisonment by Another Name?
In recent years, Texas has taken several steps to tone down its image as a state in which lawmen pursue bad guys by any means necessary, caring more about their reputation for being tough on crime than they do about justice. A notable example of a move toward a justice system focused on rehabilitation of […]
Henry Lee Lucas: The Most Dangerous Serial Killer in Texas or Just the Biggest Liar?
While there is no formal definition of “serial killer,” most people use the term to refer to a murderer who killed three or more victims on three or more separate occasions. (Someone who killed a large number of people all at one time would be a mass murderer.) The motives of serial killers are mysterious, […]
Texas DWI News Roundup: Big Crashes in Little Towns
The saying goes that everything is big in Texas, and in fact, Texas is home to three of the 10 biggest cities in the United States – Houston, San Antonio, and Dallas. Driving while intoxicated is dangerous no matter where you do it, but the risks of a catastrophic crash are even greater on the […]
Sexual Assaults by Minors are a Widespread Problem on Texas Military Bases
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The stereotype of a sex offender is a “dirty old man” who sexually harasses women or molests children, but in reality, sexual assault takes many forms. Many survivors of childhood sexual abuse were abused by someone younger than 18. If you ask sexual abuse survivors whose abusers were also minors at the time the abuse […]
Dallas Court Finds Father and Son Guilty of Health Insurance Fraud Scheme
Some cases of fraud would make great movies. For example, everyone who enjoyed watching Frank Abagnale, as portrayed by Leonardo DiCaprio, repeatedly faking it until he made it in Catch Me If You Can would happily watch a cinematic adaptation of the fraud perpetuated by Tobechi Onwuhara, who painstakingly searched for people’s personal details online […]
Young Texas Man Clears His Name After False Accusations of Child Sexual Abuse
False allegations of sex crimes are a nightmare for anyone; they are among the worst kinds of character assassination. The situation becomes worse, however, if any of the parties involved are especially young. Punishments for sex crimes are more severe when the defendants are adults and the victims are below the age of consent, and […]
All About Expunction in Texas: Do Criminal Charges Ever Really Go Away?
Unless you have been a defendant in a criminal case, you have probably never thought much about what it means to have a criminal record. It means that if you have ever been arrested, even if you were found not guilty, the record of the arrest shows up on criminal background checks, where it can […]