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Pro Bono News: O'Melveny Clears Young Man Accused of Possessing a Loaded Firearm
(08/19/2005)
An O'Melveny team recently prevailed in a two-day criminal trial on behalf of a young man wrongly accused of possessing a loaded firearm. The defendant, Mr. Wilson, was acquitted of all charges on August 8. The team comprised counsel Bo Pearl (CC), associate Christa Demeke (LA), and partner Ali Mayorkas (LA).
Mr. Wilson is a 20-year-old man who was raised until the age of 14 by his grandparents because his parents were deemed unfit to care for him. His father was a drug dealer and his mother was a crack addict. When Mr. Wilson was 14, both of his grandparents passed away in a four-month span, and he was placed in a group home. Motivated by the examples set by his grandparents, Mr. Wilson studied and worked hard, graduating from high school while holding down a job. As he approached his 18th birthday and was about to be released from foster care to the streets, Mr. Wilson entered a transitional living program focused on assisting at-risk youth develop the ability to live independently. Mr. Wilson excelled in that program, and he was selected to be one of the counselors for troubled youth. He enrolled in college and became one of the program's primary role models. He maintained his own apartment and became self-sufficient.
In August 2004, Mr. Wilson was at a barbeque in South Los Angeles to reunite with his brother, who had just been released from custody for a firearms violation. Mr. Wilson was walking to a nearby convenience store with his brother and their cousin, who had an extensive criminal record, when the three young men were stopped by the police. A loaded .45 handgun was found on the sidewalk near where the three men had been stopped. Mr. Wilson was charged with possession of the firearm; the officers reported that they had seen him toss it from his waistband. The officers did not question Mr. Wilson's brother or cousin, despite the fact that both had prior firearms violations and Mr. Wilson did not have a criminal record.
Members of the community who had come to know Mr. Wilson were convinced of his innocence; Mr. Wilson denied that he had ever possessed a firearm (let alone on the night in question), and his exemplary behavior on a day-to-day basis was inconsistent with the conduct of a young man who would carry a loaded firearm. O'Melveny took his case on a pro bono basis.
Throughout the criminal trial in Los Angeles Superior Court, approximately 10 members of the community were in attendance, including the president of the transitional living program, the lead youth advocacy counselor, at-risk youth mentors, and some of Mr. Wilson's mentees. Bo Pearl cross-examined the two arresting police officers, and Christa Demeke conducted the direct examination of two critical defense witnesses. At the conclusion of the hard-fought trial, Mr. Wilson was acquitted. He intends to return to his work as a counselor for at-risk youth and continue with his college education.
Pearl and Demeke were praised for their work in trial, their courtroom demeanor, and their dedication to Mr. Wilson's quest to beat the odds of his youth and neighborhood and succeed as an independent adult
hey! I guess some PRK lawyers are OK!
(08/19/2005)
An O'Melveny team recently prevailed in a two-day criminal trial on behalf of a young man wrongly accused of possessing a loaded firearm. The defendant, Mr. Wilson, was acquitted of all charges on August 8. The team comprised counsel Bo Pearl (CC), associate Christa Demeke (LA), and partner Ali Mayorkas (LA).
Mr. Wilson is a 20-year-old man who was raised until the age of 14 by his grandparents because his parents were deemed unfit to care for him. His father was a drug dealer and his mother was a crack addict. When Mr. Wilson was 14, both of his grandparents passed away in a four-month span, and he was placed in a group home. Motivated by the examples set by his grandparents, Mr. Wilson studied and worked hard, graduating from high school while holding down a job. As he approached his 18th birthday and was about to be released from foster care to the streets, Mr. Wilson entered a transitional living program focused on assisting at-risk youth develop the ability to live independently. Mr. Wilson excelled in that program, and he was selected to be one of the counselors for troubled youth. He enrolled in college and became one of the program's primary role models. He maintained his own apartment and became self-sufficient.
In August 2004, Mr. Wilson was at a barbeque in South Los Angeles to reunite with his brother, who had just been released from custody for a firearms violation. Mr. Wilson was walking to a nearby convenience store with his brother and their cousin, who had an extensive criminal record, when the three young men were stopped by the police. A loaded .45 handgun was found on the sidewalk near where the three men had been stopped. Mr. Wilson was charged with possession of the firearm; the officers reported that they had seen him toss it from his waistband. The officers did not question Mr. Wilson's brother or cousin, despite the fact that both had prior firearms violations and Mr. Wilson did not have a criminal record.
Members of the community who had come to know Mr. Wilson were convinced of his innocence; Mr. Wilson denied that he had ever possessed a firearm (let alone on the night in question), and his exemplary behavior on a day-to-day basis was inconsistent with the conduct of a young man who would carry a loaded firearm. O'Melveny took his case on a pro bono basis.
Throughout the criminal trial in Los Angeles Superior Court, approximately 10 members of the community were in attendance, including the president of the transitional living program, the lead youth advocacy counselor, at-risk youth mentors, and some of Mr. Wilson's mentees. Bo Pearl cross-examined the two arresting police officers, and Christa Demeke conducted the direct examination of two critical defense witnesses. At the conclusion of the hard-fought trial, Mr. Wilson was acquitted. He intends to return to his work as a counselor for at-risk youth and continue with his college education.
Pearl and Demeke were praised for their work in trial, their courtroom demeanor, and their dedication to Mr. Wilson's quest to beat the odds of his youth and neighborhood and succeed as an independent adult
hey! I guess some PRK lawyers are OK!