Criminal Defense

During these strange and confusing times, everything we know about procedures and precedents has changed. Facing criminal allegations is stressful enough without the uncertainty of how your case may be handled in court, especially if those allegations might involve felony charges. Is your trial even able to take place? Does this pandemic change the way…

Regardless of the state you live in, a capital offense is the most severe charge you can face, and therefore subject to the harshest of sentences. In Texas, there is only one capital charge: capital murder. If you are convicted, you can be put to death. In the state of Texas, for the crime to…

In April of 2020, a young Army specialist named Vanessa Guillén went missing from Fort Cavazos. In July, her remains were found in a shallow grave nearby. She had been beaten to death, and investigators suspected Spc. Aaron Robinson. As police closed in, he shot himself to death. Had Robinson lived, he would have faced…

Home to Fort Cavazos (Fort Hood), an Army base with its own notorious reputation (especially since the kidnapping and subsequent murder of Spc. Vanessa Guillen), Killeen has an unfortunate relationship with serious criminal offenses. Annually, more than 500 violent crimes occur in this city alone, with a rating of 19 on a crime index of…

What do you do when you’re in the wrong place at the wrong time and you’re accused and convicted of a crime you didn’t commit? What if it ends with a sentence of life in prison or worse, death? It’s a nightmare from which few innocent inmates believe they’ll ever wake up from. According to…

The last thing anyone facing a felony charge thinks about is what long-term consequences he or she might face other than how much time could be spent in prison. It is human nature to deal with the immediate problem before you rather than concerning yourself with the after-effects until they’re suddenly a problem. That’s why…

Being homeless can happen to anyone who runs across the wrong luck at the wrong time. When you’ve worked hard at being successful, losing it all can be devastating and even end in a mental breakdown. Many people who have experienced this can easily end up homeless living on the streets. Their new circumstances often…

It appears that off-post crime involving Fort Cavazos (Fort Hood) has gone underreported for quite some time, but now a number of servicemembers will find themselves in hot water. Stars and Stripes has named the Fort Cavazos the Army’s most crime-ridden post. An assessment was conducted of crime statistics and found that Fort Cavazos has…

Intoxication manslaughter charges are among the most serious in our state, with severe consequences upon conviction. Both prosecutors and organizations like Mothers Against Drunk Driving lobby for harsh penalties against offenders, and if you are facing intoxication manslaughter charges, you cannot underestimate what you are up against. What is intoxication manslaughter? Intoxication manslaughter falls under…

Here in Texas, if you are accused of a crime, you may face additional penalties if you are a repeat offender. What this means is that the court can lay down more serious punishments upon conviction than you might face if it were your first offense. Felony repeat offenders can face much more severe punishments…

In order to lawfully use self-defense as a legal strategy, a defendant must prove his or her justification in taking assaultive actions based on either threats of violence or actual violence on the part of the other individual. Under Texas law, a person is not guilty of assault if he or she committed actions for…

In every state, including Texas, sex crimes are considered one of the most horrendous offenses. In the majority of cases, individuals convicted of a sex crime in the state are required to have their names added to the Texas sex offender registry. In 1994, Congress passed the Jacob Wetterling Crimes Against Children Act as part…

In a criminal trial, the prosecutor must present evidence that sufficiently convinces the jury or judge of the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. The evidence required to meet this burden of proof is often substantial and can be derived from extensive investigations conducted by law enforcement. The various forms in which this evidence may…

An Administrative License Revocation (ALR) hearing is the forum used to determine if your driver license should be suspended, because you were either arrested for Driving While Intoxicated (DWI), or refused to submit to breath or blood tests after being stopped for a DWI. You only have 15 days to request an ALR hearing, starting…

During these difficult times, there can be uncomfortable issues that we might not want to talk about, or don’t have anyone to vent to about, either. Family or domestic violence is one of them. Unfortunately, these things don’t stop in the face of a nationwide pandemic – and, in fact, they can become worse as…

The current coronavirus pandemic is a public health crisis affecting everyone in the country. There are some populations here in Texas, however, that may be more vulnerable than others. Our citizens who battle drug and alcohol addictions face challenges that can put them in risky situations for contracting or spreading the coronavirus, as well as…

The current COVID-19 pandemic has closed many courts across the state for the foreseeable future, save for emergency hearings and orders. Now, many Texans face uncertainty regarding their legal issues, whether they need representation for criminal charges or for a family law case. Mary Beth Harrell recently spoke to the Copperas Cove Leader Press regarding…

In the state of Texas, any type or murder degree is designated as criminal homicide. Regardless of the degree assigned to a homicide offense, the consequences in every case are always severe. The highest level of murder defined under the Texas Penal Code is first-degree murder. Capital murder is a type of first-degree murder which…

This is a question I get asked a lot. It is understandable, as the thought of getting arrested for many people is scary. The process is something with which most people are not familiar. Knowing your rights and what to do if accused of a crime is important. In today’s blog, I will take you…