Attorney Deirdre Lynn O'Connor's Legal Cases

Criminal defense

Child Credibility (False Molestation Accusation)

Aug 15, 2000

OUTCOME: Not guilty all three counts

Client was falsely accused of three counts of child molestation. Trial preparation included investigation of alleged crime scene; criminal background checks of suspicious extended family members; ... video-taped demonstrative evidence showing that conditions at scene rendered reported events highly improbable; locating critical character witnesses; consultation with expert on child suggestibility and Child Sexual Abuse Accommodation Syndrome; identification of internal police documents supporting defense theory of case; and developing proof of extended family member's malicious motivation to get child to falsely report crime. After presenting a full defense with several witnesses including the defendant, the jury acquitted Mr. J.B. of all counts. (Note: The date concluded is an approximation.)

Criminal defense

Testilying Cop Uses Boiler Plate Police Report

Dec 22, 1998

OUTCOME: Not guilty on second strike drug case

Client was charged with possession of cocaine as a second strike. Investigation revealed that the cop arrested another man for the same charged 10 minutes before the client's arrest. When we pulled ... the police report for that other arrest, we noticed that the circumstances of each arrest were described in nearly verbatim fashion in the unrelated police reports. Client and the unrelated arrestee were both alleged to have been walking aimlessly in a high drug area admiring a small rock of cocaine that they carried in their extended left hand (palms up). Naturally, the cop could see the rock clearly from the passenger seat of his patrol car as it slowing drove by! But the coincidences don't stop there. According to both reports, both men reacted the exact same way when they saw the police. Both immediately clenched their left hand, dropped their beloved rock at the cop's feet and began to walk away! Not guilty.

Violent crime

A Present for Mama?

Sep 15, 1998

OUTCOME: Not guilty

A few days after Mr. P's release from prison for an unrelated matter, he was charged with attempted robbery as a second strike. The offense was based on a female shop owner claim that she caught Mr. P ... trying to steal a teddy bear from her display table and when got caught he punched her in an effort to get away with the teddy bear. Mr. P. outweighed the woman by 100 lbs, but she had no visible injuries. The prosecution's theory was that Mr. P was trying to steal the teddy bear as a Mother's Day gift for his mother. After thorough investigation and trial preparation, the matter was tried in Los Angeles County. As a result, the jury acquitted Mr. P of robbery and the court dismissed the lesser-included misdemeanor petty theft charge.

Criminal defense

Child Eyewitness Case

Mar 03, 1998

OUTCOME: Not guilty

Mr. B. was a homeless man charged with residential burglary based on the eyewitness identification of two young children (7 and 9) who were awoken late at night to the sound of their barking dog. Wh ... en the children (both Hispanic) looked at their bedroom window, they believed that they saw the face of a black man who was trying to enter their room. Their screams caused the man to run away and their parents to rush to their aid. The parents called the landlord, who then called the police. The police arrived a few minutes later and found Mr. B. walking across the street at a brisk pace. The police detained Mr. B and brought him to the front door of the house. The children identified Mr. B as the man outside their window. After extensive investigation of the crime scene, interviewing all witnesses, obtaining critical documentation regarding timing of police arrival, consultation with expert witnesses, and thorough trial preparation, the jury returned a verdict of not guilty. (Note: Date concluded is an approximation.)

Deirdre Lynn O'Connor's Legal Cases (14)

Child Credibility (False Molestation Accusation)

Testilying Cop Uses Boiler Plate Police Report

A Present for Mama?

Child Eyewitness Case