Thank you for sharing this story. I love reading stuff like this. I need to sit with you this week if you’re free, either lunch or a drink depending on your time. I want to put together a sentencing case for my false statement client that keeps him out of jail. There is a beautiful story to tell. This is the same case that you helped me win and we worked together last year at Cooley. From: John Coyle [mailto:jc@coylelaw.com]
Sent: Monday, May 02, 2011 7:07 PM
To: suzie@suzannemindlin.net; alumni@triallawyerscollege.com; trialwarriorsforjustice@yahoogroups.com; Marjorie Russell
Subject: RE: [TLC] Trial fires for Cheryl Carpenter Cheryl is the real deal!! Fires blazing in OKC j w coyle
From: Suzie Mindlin [mailto:suzie@suzannemindlin.net]
Sent: Monday, May 02, 2011 5:17 PM
To: alumni@triallawyerscollege.com; trialwarriorsforjustice@yahoogroups.com; Marjorie Russell
Subject: Re: [TLC] Trial fires for Cheryl Carpenter Go Cheryl! Thanks for posting, Marj.
Date: Monday, May 2, 2011, 2:22 PM Cheryl Carpenter began a retrial on a hung-jury case today.
Renaldo is charged with criminal sexual conduct, and the defense is false accusation.
When we started working TLC methods on this case, Cheryl was feeling pretty low.
'Older' [20s] man accused of raping a teenage girl he met online.
Plus he has a baby mama and was looking at other girls . . .
Ugh.
But of course, the more we learned the rest of the story, the more we bonded with Renaldo and wanted to help him.
He was stupid but not criminal.
D'Asia got caught up in a fantasy of a relationship with this "older man"
[after having friends post profiles of her on Crushspot and Facebook that said she was 20 and 18]
when he met her, he could tell after a few minutes she was too young and not what she said
he was kind of clueless and an idiot so he drove around and ran some errands
as a safe way of spending time with her
[rather than dissing her on the spot]
went to the phone store [left her in the car for 1/2 and hour or more]
and ran over to his house to pick up his gym bag [she came in to use the bathroom]
but when she realized he was treating her like a pesky little sister and not a date, she turned on him
couple that with an ultra-religious repressive mom
"I gave her a sermon before I questioned her about what she was doing"
"I told her if she didn't tell the truth I would take her to the hospital so they could tell me if she was running around having sex"
and a claim of sexual assault followed in short order
The judge in this case is very restrictive on voir dire
Nonetheless, Cheryl was able to get the jury sharing stories,
but after she had spent all her peremptories
an empty seat was filled with a woman they were sure was awful for them
but there was nothing they could do!
suddenly, this woman raised her hand out of the blue
- without a question being addressed to her -
and caused herself off
"I'm not the right person for this case - I can't be fair to the defendant"
2 more did the same!
3 cause dismissals in her favor . . .
the warrior magic was working
Top that off with the judge calling both lawyers to the bench after opening statements
and harshly informing the prosecutor that
if the accused is acquitted
HE INTENDS TO ISSUE PERJURY CHARGES AGAINST THE COMPLAINANT!
this is after OPENINGS only!
GO CHERYL!!!!!!!
Did the prosecutor go woodshed her witness?
Consider dismissing?
Make an offer?
NO! She pouted that her witness would now be "chilled" LOL
Cheryl reports that cross of the officer in charge and the complainant and her mom went very well
all soft cross
all gave great admissions - cop admitted he said that he doubted this case because there weren't enough details
Renaldo's mom was an excellent witness about the room where D'Asisa claims things happened
[basically a 'junk' room in the basement, where there is no room for the bed D'Asia claims was there . . . .]
she took them to the scene with Cheryl's help.
So not much left to do tomorrow, but please burn the fires to keep the good energy running for Renaldo.
It is his second time through this hell, and we want to send him home!
Go Cheryl, we want to hear that 2 word verdict! |
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