People v. Sotelo
Dec 12, 2017OUTCOME: Voluntary Manslaughter
My homeless client was confronted behind the Sonoma County downtown library by another homeless man who was high on methamphetamine. My client tried to ignore the man's aggressive advances but ultimat ... ely found it necessary to defend himself with deadly force. A jury originally convicted my client of first degree murder because the judge had refused to let a crucial expert witness testify. I quickly appealed the case and the conviction was overturned. At the re-trial I was allowed to call the defense expert that was excluded along with another expert that I had located. The result was a manslaughter conviction which means that instead of serving a life term my client will be released from custody in just a few years.
