OUTCOME: Successfully negotiated plea to avoid the death penalty
Capital Murder. Bastrop County Cause No. 15,914. Lead counsel for an Austin Police Officer charged in a murder-for-hire in which an "other woman," pregnant with his baby, was shot 3 times in the head. ...Case was investigated by multiple law enforcement agencies in Bastrop and Austin, including the Texas Rangers. Digital forensic evidence linked Client to a friend and accomplice who carried out the killing. Client left the U.S. for Indonesia during the investigation, and was extradited back by the FBI. Bastrop County District Attorney announced intent to seek the death penalty. A thorough defense investigation of the deceased, coupled with development substantial mitigating evidence showing Client's good character, showed that Client was (despite his involvement in this desperate act) likely not a future danger, and thus unlikely to receive the death penalty after a trial.
Criminal defense
State of Texas v. Q. Wiles
Feb 08, 2019
OUTCOME: Beat State's plea offer and achieved a minimum sentence
My client stabbed his life partner several times early one Sunday morning, seemingly out of the blue, without provocation. The partner tried to flee their home, was stabbed again by the front door, and... left to slowly bleed out in the foyer over the next couple hours. My client evoked an emergency response by phoning in a false report to 911 about a man with a gun. When police arrived, my client walked out of the house with a knife and was shot by the police. Thankfully, both survived.
My client was charged with Aggravated Assault with a deadly weapon causing serious bodily injury to a family member, a first-degree felony with a punishment range of 5 years up to life in prison. Despite the fact that my client was about 60 years old and had no criminal history whatsoever, the District Attorney initially sought a 25-year prison sentence. In pretrial negotiations, the District Attorney lowered its offer to 15 years. We rejected this offer realizing that, at my client's age, any double-digit sentence could effectively be a life sentence. We headed to trial.
Because my client was legally eligible for probation, he entered a guilty plea to the jury, and we had a jury trial on the issue of punishment alone. Having developed a strong mitigation case, I was able to show the jury the dire financial situation my client and his life partner were in. Despite my client's best efforts to find adequate employment, they were on the cusp of losing their home, my client was despondent, and his partner was oblivious. We called friend and neighbors to testify as to my client's generous, helpful, and peaceful nature.
Every member of the jury had committed during jury selection that they could follow the law and at least consider probation for my client. However, after hearing evidence and deliberating, the jury decided to sentence him to seven years in prison plus a $10,000.00 fine.
After the jury reached the verdict, one juror indicated during a defense-requested jury poll that she felt rushed by her fellow jurors to reach a verdict. She said several people wanted probation, including her. After deliberation, they had narrowed themselves down to six or seven years in prison. She left the jury room to use the bathroom, and when she came back, the other 11 jurors had decided the verdict would be seven years and unfairly pressured her to go along.
As a result, the district attorney agreed to a plea deal of a five-year prison sentence, with no fine, the minimum possible under the law.
Criminal defense
State v. Quintana (Part 3)
Feb 09, 2012
OUTCOME: Dismissed
After beating the Williamson County Attorney's Office in two separate high-profile trials, the prosecution dismissed the fourth and final charge against this former Austin Police Officer falsely accuse...d of domestic violence by his ex-financee (who is also a police officer). Media coverage can be found here...
http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/courts/entries/2012/02/09/final_charge_against_quintana.html
Criminal defense
State v. Quintana (Part 2)
Feb 01, 2012
OUTCOME: NOT GUILTY (again)
After I obtained acquittals on similar charges from a separate accusation against this former Austin Police Officer in a trial in June 2011, the Williamson County Attorney's Office insisted on a jury t...rial to settle the remaining charges. Here's the link to the media coverage... http://www.statesman.com/news/local/ex-officer-quintana-cleared-of-two-charges-in-2142039.html
Criminal defense
State v. Quintana (Part 1)
Jun 22, 2011
OUTCOME: NOT GUILTY
Former Austin Police officer acquitted of assaulting his ex-fiancee. Here's the link to the media coverage...
http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/sharedgen/blogs/austin/williamson/entries/2011/06/2...2/williamson_county_jury_acquitt.html
DUI and DWI
State of Texas v. M. Chavez
Sep 17, 2008
OUTCOME: NOT GUILTY
Client stopped for speeding. Cop smells alcohol, and client admits drinking. Cop says Client failed field sobriety tests, and Client is arrested. Cop offers Client a breath test, and the breath mach...ine detects an "interferent" and will not provide a breath score. Cop has Client's blood drawn. Client's BAC is supposedly 0.17%, and a prosecution expert predicted Client's peak alcohol concentration would have been 0.20%--almost two-and-a-half times the legal limit in Texas!
The jury found my client NOT GUILTY after only 20 minutes of deliberation.
