A New York jury recently acquitted Guy Rivera of first-degree murder in the 2024 shooting death of NYPD Detective Jonathan Diller during a traffic stop in Queens. Rivera was convicted of manslaughter and weapons charges instead. He faces up to 90 years in prison. When that verdict was reported, the reaction in many corners was […]
Category Archives: Murder Defense
James Broadnax was convicted in Dallas County in 2009 for the robbery and murder of two men in Garland. He is scheduled to die by lethal injection on April 30, 2026. His cousin, Demarius Cummings, has submitted a sworn affidavit confessing that he (not Broadnax) was the one who pulled the trigger. Cummings says he […]
By Deandra Grant, J.D., M.S. (Pharmaceutical Science), ACS-CHAL Forensic Lawyer-Scientist Under Texas law, murder is a first-degree felony punishable by 5 to 99 years or life in prison. But there is a narrow and powerful provision in the Penal Code that can reduce that sentence dramatically: the sudden passion defense under §19.02(d). If the defense […]
By Deandra Grant, J.D., M.S. (Pharmaceutical Science), ACS-CHAL Forensic Lawyer-Scientist Texas has the most robust self-defense laws in the country. A person who kills another person in self-defense has committed no crime. This is not a technicality, an excuse, or a mitigation strategy. It is a complete defense that, if proven, results in an acquittal. […]
By Deandra Grant, J.D., M.S. (Pharmaceutical Science), ACS-CHAL Forensic Lawyer-Scientist In serious felony cases (murder, aggravated assault, aggravated sexual assault, aggravated robbery, and other offenses carrying decades of prison time) the guilt-innocence phase of trial receives the most attention. But for many defendants, the punishment phase is where the case is actually decided. A defendant […]
By Deandra Grant, J.D., M.S. (Pharmaceutical Science), ACS-CHAL Forensic Lawyer-Scientist The difference between murder and manslaughter in Texas comes down to one word: the mental state. Murder requires that the defendant acted intentionally or knowingly. Manslaughter requires only recklessness. That single distinction determines whether a defendant faces a first-degree felony (5–99 years or life) or […]
By Deandra Grant, J.D., M.S. (Pharmaceutical Science), ACS-CHAL Forensic Lawyer-Scientist In Texas homicide cases, the prosecution builds its case on forensic evidence. DNA, blood spatter, ballistics, digital forensics, toxicology, autopsy findings, and cell tower data are presented to the jury as scientific proof that the defendant committed the killing. Jurors tend to trust this evidence […]
By Deandra Grant, J.D., M.S. (Pharmaceutical Science), ACS-CHAL Forensic Lawyer-Scientist Felony murder is one of the most misunderstood charges in Texas criminal law. A person who never intended to kill anyone and who may not have even been the one who caused the death can be charged with murder or capital murder if someone dies […]
By Deandra Grant, J.D., M.S. (Pharmaceutical Science), ACS-CHAL Forensic Lawyer-Scientist If someone you love has been arrested for murder in Dallas County, the next 48 to 72 hours will be some of the most critical of the case. Bond will be set. Conditions will be imposed. The investigation will continue. And the decisions made at […]
If you or someone you know has been arrested for murder in Texas, or if law enforcement has indicated that a murder investigation is underway, the period between the arrest and a formal indictment is one of the most consequential (and most often wasted) windows in the entire case. This is when the grand jury […]
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