Category: Criminal Defense

Amy Senser fights for unbiased, impartial vehicular homicide trial

It is a constitutional right that anyone accused of a crime will be tried by an impartial and unbiased jury. This Sixth Amendment guarantee is a basis of the American criminal system and no Minnesota suspect should ever have it infringed upon. As Amy Senser’s attorney attempts to protect her right to an impartial jury, he faces pushback from the Hennepin County prosecutor who is resisting his request to transfer the case to a new and less biased location in Minnesota.

Maple Grove woman with cognitive disorders to be tried for accident

Before a Maple Grove woman can stand trial for her alleged involvement with a fatal motor vehicle accident, it must be determined that she is competent to stand trial. The 61-year-old woman has made her initial court appearance, but her attorney insists that her aneurysms, dementia and cognitive disorders all make her unable to stand trial. The court has ordered a mental evaluation before her next court appearance.

Man charged in Minneapolis’s first apparent homicide of 2012

A witness has told police that while he and three other men were smoking methamphetamine earlier this month, one man pulled out a gun and shot another man and shot at the third individual before fleeing to another hotel. Police subsequently arrested a 33-year-old man and have charged him with second-degree murder and second-degree attempted murder after the individual who had been shot died. If the 33-year-old receives a felony conviction, he could be facing considerable time in prison.

Man accused of string of Twin Cities burglaries charged

Police are saying that a Minnesota man has been caught mid-heist after burglarizing a high-end home. The 43-year-old man is suspected of more than 20 incidents of theft in more than 11 areas of the Twin Cities, but police have released little information about what they say connects this man to the other break-ins.

Minnesota DWI Caused By One Too Many Clean Pints?

A Minnesota DWI could result from too many clean glasses: Today’s article on the Star Tribune about Clean Beer Glasses explains how beer experts have started a new Twitter campaign to post pictures of empty pint glasses of beer with only suds remaining. If you had one too many pints at your local watering hole and got tagged with a Minnesota DUI, then you need serious help now!

Mother of slain woman harasses police, suspect

When Minnesota police and prosecutors choose to arrest a suspect and file charges, we expect that they have found sufficient evidence to accuse someone of a crime. Especially with high-publicity, violent crimes, it is even more important that prosecutors don’t just throw around charges because of the serious consequences that will follow an allegation of murder.

Minneapolis woman believed she hit construction equipment

One of the important things that must be proven on a hit-and-run charge is that the driver was aware that he or she hit a person. After 45-year-old Amy Senser was charged with vehicular homicide for an alleged hit-and-run accident that took the life of a 38-year-old man, questions have been raised as to whether she knew she hit anyone. The accident occurred on Aug. 23, 2011 at approximately 11:08 p.m. in Minneapolis near the entrance ramp to westbound Interstate 94 and Riverside Avenue. While prosecutors allege that the woman hit the man and drove off, she insists she believed she only hit a piece of construction equipment.

Minnesota officials say 1,300 have been arrested for DWI in December

Throughout the month of December, law enforcement agencies across Minnesota have been sending out extra patrols, with officers working overtime, to watch for reasons to pull drivers over, hoping to make arrested for driving while impaired offenses. State officials estimate that roughly 1,300 drivers have been charged with DWI in Minnesota since the first of the month.

Minnesota business liable to prevent underage drinking

When we hear about cases of drunk driving charges or underage drinking, we immediately think only of the suspects directly involved. A recent case in Richfield, however, shows that the law calls for a community as a whole to try to prevent underage drinking and DWI accidents.

Craigslist ad leads to alleged theft in St. Paul

A St. Paul man has alleged that he was robbed after he responded to a Craigslist ad for a casual encounter. The man contacted the ad’s author via email and the two connected in the early morning on Nov. 28, 2011 at the man’s University of Minnesota’s St. Paul campus apartment. After a drink, the two retired to the man’s bedroom, but after both of them were undressed, the woman said she forgot her phone charger.