The legal system is concerned with the various elements that can disrupt the peace and order of society. Notably, the system is in place to make sure that crimes committed are justly dealt with.
Crimes can be divided into four major categories: Personal Crimes, Statutory Crimes, Property Crimes, and Inchoate/Incomplete Crimes. There are so many crimes to note of under these categories, some of which are graver than others like homicide, sex crimes, and reckless endangerment.
Criminal defense attorneys in Kent and all over the country are the ones who are tasked with defending the persons accused of committing crimes. Some cases are more notorious than others.
The O.J. Simpson Murder Case
Orenthal James “O.J.” Simpson is a former National Football League athlete whose legacy as a football player has been overshadowed by his time in court. Simpson was first brought to trial in 1994 for the slashing murder of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ron Goldman. Both were killed on June 12, and Simpson became the suspect the next day.
Simpson was represented by a group of lawyers referred to as the Dream Team back then, headed by Robert Shapiro. But before he could go to court, Simpson first became a fugitive when he tried to flee in his white Bronco. He was later arrested that day, and Simpson went to his first hearing on July 22, where he pled “absolutely, 100 percent, not guilty”.
Judge Lance Ito was assigned to the case, and the jury was later on selected. It consisted of 12 men and 12 women. On January 18, 1995, Johnnie Cochran took the part of lead defense counsel. Six days later, the prosecution made their opening statements.
It wasn’t until October 3, 1995 that Simpson was acquitted from two accounts of murder. This was accomplished by Cochran after he convinced the jury that there was reasonable doubt regarding the DNA evidence that the state was implicating Simpson with. At the time, the use of DNA as evidence was new to the court system, and Cochran’s theory of mishandling by lab technicians worked its wonders.
The Slenderman Stabbing
A 2014 stabbing case in Waukesha, Wisconsin received infamy due to the circumstances that led up to the events. The Media referred to it as the Slenderman Stabbing, where Morgan Geyser and Anissa Weier, both 12 at the time, stabbed their friend, Payton Leutner, also 12 at the time, 19 times.
The event happened on May 31, 2014, on a walk in the woods for a supposed game of hide-and-seek, a day after Geyser’s birthday sleepover. Leutner survived the grizzly events after she had crawled to the side of a road where a bicyclist found her and called 911.
Geyser and Weier were jailed, and bail was set at 500,000. After, they were charged with first-degree intentional homicide for trying to pay homage to the internet Creepypasta Wiki character, Slenderman. They would have faced up to 65 years in prison, but were instead sentenced to mental health facilities.
Sentencing happened when both girls turned 18. They were both found not guilty by the jury due to mental disease. However, they were sentenced to mental health care facilities. Weier, for being an accomplice to second-degree intentional homicide, was sentenced to 25 years in December 2017. . Two months later, Geyser was given 40 years for first-degree intentional homicide.