PC 187 – MOTHER ALLEGEDLY KILLED HER 3-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTERS, THEN SET FIRE TO APARTMENT TO TRY TO COVERUP THE DEATHS
PC 187 – MOTHER ALLEGEDLY KILLED HER 3-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTERS, THEN SET FIRE TO APARTMENT TO TRY TO COVERUP THE DEATHS
California Penal Code 187 - Murder On October 13, 2010, police allege that a mother stabbed her two 3-year-old daughters to death, attempted to commit suicide, and set fire to her apartment to try to cover up her daughters' deaths. On October 12, after responding to reports of a late night fire, firefighters arrived at the mother's apartment and subdued the flames. They found the daughters' bodies inside the apartment.…
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PC 203 & 205, PC 206, and PC 273d – Father Accused of Biting Out and Eating His Child’s Eye Pleads Not Guilty
A man accused of biting out his 4-year-old son's eye while allegedly high on PCP, pleaded "not guilty" on Monday by reason of insanity. On April 28, 2009, 34-year-old Angelo Mendoza of Bakersfield had chained himself naked to a tree and was trying to hack his own leg off with a pickax when police responded to the scene. Before police arrived, concerned neighbors went to Mendoza's apartment to check on…
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Woman Accused of Hit-and-Run of a Police Officer Says Children Distracted Her – California Vehicle Code Section 20001
An Indiana woman wanted in connection with a hit-and-run accident that killed a Greenfield police officer turned herself in on Monday, claiming that she had been distracted by her three children who were in the car at the time. 61-year-old Sue Ann Vanderbeck of Indianapolis told police that on September 28, the accident occurred when she was driving home after midnight from her late mother's home in Cambridge City with…
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PENAL CODE 187(A), PENAL CODE 189, PENAL CODE 190(A) – MAN CONVICTED OF MURDER AND STEALING VICTIM’S PRIZED FLUTES
On October 5, 2010, Alejandro Hernandez Rivera, 24, was found guilty of first degree murder for strangling a retiree as part of a plan to steal the retiree's expensive flute collection. Rivera worked as a janitor by day, but prosecutors alleged that he also advertised his services as a prostitute on Craigslist. Theodore Neff, 66, was one of his regular clients. In 2008, Rivera allegedly murdered Neff, set fire to…
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Judge Openly Skeptical of Los Angeles Marijuana Law – Health and Safety Code Section 11357
Superior Court Judge Anthony J. Mohr is skeptical about the propriety of several provisions in LA's new marijuana laws. Mohr expressed his concerns at a hearing last Tuesday for lawsuits filed by collectives and patients challenging the constitutionality of the city's new law. Especially perplexing to Mohr is a provision that requires collectives – many of them marijuana dispensaries that supply pot for "donations" – to make patient lists openly…
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GAY 13-YEAR-OLD COMMITS SUICIDE AFTER YEARS OF ALLEGED BULLYING – CALIFORNIA PENAL CODE SECTION 422.6
On September 28, 2010, 13-year-old Seth Walsh was pronounced dead after sustaining injuries from apparently hanging himself from a tree in his backyard on September 19. According to a police report, emergency personnel found Walsh unconscious and not breathing after attempting to commit suicide. He had reportedly been subject to years of alleged bullying because he was gay, including alleged bullying on the day he died. Police interviewed some of…
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FELONY THEFT CONVICTIONS REDUCED TO MISDEMEANORS
Theft cases with prior offenses can have serious consequences and also risk the possibility of state imprisonment. It is imperative that the attorney who represents you is knowledgeable of the courts where your case is being heard at and also the prosecution personnel as that could be the difference between state prison, jail time, probation or a dismissal of the case. Not too long ago our San Bernardino attorneys represented…
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LINDSAY LOHAN RELEASED ON BAIL LATE FRIDAY AFTERNOON AFTER HER LAWYER FILES APPEAL – CALIFORNIA PENAL CODE SECTION 1271
On September 24, 2010, in the late afternoon, a Los Angeles Superior Court allowed Lindsay Lohan to post bail and be released from custody after her lawyer appealed an earlier ruling that morning denying her the right to post bail. The previous judge's ruling denying bail meant that Lohan would have been in custody at least until her October 22 probation violation hearing. Lohan's attorney argued that the superior court…
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EIGHT CURRENT, FORMER BELL, CALIFORNIA OFFICIALS ARRESTED AND CHARGED IN CORRUPTION SCANDAL – CALIFORNIA PENAL CODE SECTION 424(A), SECTION 503
On September 21, 2010, eight current and former city officials were arrested and charged with numerous counts of misappropriation of city funds and crimes related to the abuse of their authority. Los Angeles District Attorney Steve Cooley alleged that the accused Bell officials misappropriated over $5.5 million in city funds. The accused officials are former city manager Robert Rizzo, the alleged mastermind behind the corruption scheme; Mayor Oscar Hernandez; former…
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A Former MoFo Partner Pleads “Not Guilty” to Felony Charges Including Grand Theft and Forgery – California Penal Code Sections 487 and 470
A former partner of Morrison & Foerster (MoFo), a prestigious law firm based in San Francisco, and his wife pleaded "not guilty" to felony charges in connection with an alleged scheme to defraud the San Francisco Unified School District, the firm and its health insurance provider out of nearly $400,000 in fraudulent services for their autistic son. Jonathan Dickstein and his wife Barclay Lynn, both 43-years-old, have been charged with…
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