Tag Archives: homicide
Court of Appeal Recuses Orange County District Attorney’s Office in Murder Case
On November 23, 2016, the Fourth District Court of Appeal affirmed the Superior Court’s Decision recusing the entire District Attorneys Office in Orange County [OCDA] in the penalty phase of a case in which the defendant had previously pled guilty to eight counts of murder. The Superior Court concluded the OCDA had such a severe … Read More
California Death Penalty. Vote November 8th
There are two measures that deal with the death penalty in California that are on the ballot in the forthcoming November 8th election. California has the largest number of inmates awaiting the death penalty of all the states. The last execution in California was about ten years ago when it was legally challenged because of … Read More
Appeals Court Upholds California Death Penalty
On November 12, 2015, the United States 9th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the constitutionality of the California Death Penalty and in so doing reversed the ruling by the US District Court that decided under the 8th Amendment it was unconstitutional as cruel and unusual punishment because of lengthy and unpredictable delays. The California Attorney … Read More
Boston Bombing – A Fortuitous Event?
On the anniversary of the Boston Bombing, April 15, 2013 in which three innocent victims were killed and nearly 300 others were injured, many are asking whether this was a fortuitous event, or calculated killings by terrorists using weapons of mass destruction. Even more compelling is the surfacing of information that one of the bombers … Read More
Former BP Engineer Convicted of Obstructing Justice
In New Orleans today, there was a jury verdict after the U.S. Department of Justice charged Kurt Mix, a former BP engineer, of deleting hundreds of text messages from his iPhone, thereby thwarting the investigation of the 2010 BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Although none of the top executives of BP have … Read More
4 killed in Orange County shooting spree
A series of shootings across Orange County has left four people, including the gunman, dead. According to this report, the first shooting occurred at Ladera Ranch. It is believed that the shooter killed one person here prior to fleeing in an SUV. The suspect then continued to attempt to carjack at least two vehicles, which … Read More
Suspect accused of killing California doctor was a patient with an appointment (Sam Spital)
COMMENTARY BY SAM SPITAL, Criminal Defense Lawyer, San Diego: “The Fox.com news reported on January 30, 2013 that a 52 year old Newport Beach Urologist, Dr. Ronald Gilbert, was shot and killed by a 75 year old patient who had a scheduled appointment and brought a handgun with him into the exam room and fired … Read More
Navy officer murdered in Mission Valley apartment; brother in jail (Sam Spital)
Commentary by San Diego Homicide Defense and Criminal Law Attorney SAM SPITAL: “On January 29, 2013, the digital edition of CBS Channel 8 news reported the 21 year old brother of the victim who was killed over the past weekend was arrested for first degree murder. Jonathan (Jake) Tenorio was 25 years old and found … Read More
Officers Fatally Shoot Pursuit Suspect-The suspect driver allegedly accelerated toward the officers at a dead end (Sam Spital)
Commentary by Sam Spital, Criminal Lawyer- San Diego: “NBC Channel 39 in its electronic news on January 12, 2012 reported an officer had shot an assailant at about 1:15 a.m. when there was a pursuit of a vehicle driving at an excessive speed that in spite of the police siren and red lights flashing eventually … Read More