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SUMMIT CRIMINAL DEFENSE BLOG

Category: Three Strikes

California Three Strikes Law Change Shows Promise (CA Proposition 36)

Rabin Nabizadeh
September 10, 2013

What is California proposition 36?

First District Court of Appeals in Oakland Overturns Murder Conviction

Rabin Nabizadeh
August 1, 2013

The First District Court of Appeal in Oakland has unanimously determined to reverse the decision of two lower courts to effectively overturn a murder charge against Jamie Thomas in the death of Samuel Navarro.  This higher appeals court decision was made on the basis that jurors in the original trial were not given the option […]

Reexamination of Evidence Leads to Prison Release of Modesto Man Convicted of Arson (CA Penal Code §451 )

Rabin Nabizadeh
July 2, 2013

72-year-old George Souliotes was convicted of arson (CA Penal Code §451 – malicious arson) and murder (under the “felony murder rule”) over 16 years ago.  Though he maintained his innocence in the incident – the deaths of three of his tenants in an apartment building he owned (6-year-old Daniel Jones, 3-year old Amanda Jones, and […]

Paramedics Contaminated Crime Scene in Monte Sereno Millionaire Slaying

Rabin Nabizadeh
June 26, 2013

Until recently, there was really only one suspect in the November murder of Ravi Kumra, former owner in a Saratoga vineyard and entrepreneur – Lukis Anderson (26) of San Jose, whose DNA was found in the slain millionaire’s home. For months, local law enforcement officials, prosecutors, and defense attorneys alike have tried to figure out […]

Dying Declaration Exception Used in Suisun City Stabbing Case (CA Evidence Code §1240 – §1242)

Rabin Nabizadeh
June 25, 2013

The victim in a stabbing on Worley Road in Suisun City managed to give local law enforcement officials the name of her attacker before expiring.  After an argument on the 1300 block of Worley Road, the unnamed target was stabbed repeatedly.  Police have yet to release the name of the suspect, but are on his […]

Richmond High School Gang Rape Draws Attention (CA Penal Code §261)

Rabin Nabizadeh
June 3, 2013

It sounds like the beginning of a 1970s horror flick based on a Stephen King novel. A 16-year-old girl leaves the safety of the crowd at an innocent Homecoming dance and ends up incoherently drunk and crumpled under a picnic table, dress askew and a trail of grisly pieces of evidence – a high-heeled shoe, […]

Rio Linda Woman Sentence to 192 years for Child Molestation (CA Penal Code §288)

40-year-old Rosemary Eusted was sentenced to 72 years + 120 years to life for the ongoing molestation of at least four children over a period of several years.  Two were girls that spent time in her home and were 6 and 7 years old when the molestation occurred in 1997.  Then, in 2005, Eusted molested […]

VIOLATIONS OF CALIFORNIA LAW PREVENTS NEW EXECUTION RULES

Rabin Nabizadeh
May 30, 2013

Officials in the California system who have authored a bid for new rules on execution, including using a different method than most states in the U.S., have evidently not bothered to “do their homework” when it comes to state laws on the subject.  The need for a change in the system and methods of execution […]

Valley Springs: 12-year-old Arrest in Leila Fowler Murder (CA Penal Code §187(a))

Rabin Nabizadeh
May 14, 2013

When Leila Fowler (8) was found stabbed to death in the kitchen of her family’s ranch style home, it was her brother (12) who seemed most upset.  Now, the young boy has been arrested in connection with the case pursuant to CA Penal Code §187(a), even though there seems to be little evidence to support […]

Defense Attorneys Now Better Positioned to Assist Clients

Rabin Nabizadeh
May 13, 2013

The state of California has learned a bit of a lesson from history.  Recently, a Second District Court of Appeals decision has strengthened the defense attorney-client relationship by making it almost as airtight as a therapist’s relationship with their patient.  It could be argued that this debate has been ongoing – at least since the […]