Melvin Conrad Epley

Mel is a good lawyer, however i think he could have pushed the DA a bit further, instead we accepted a plea deal with stipulations.Knowing that AB109 was in full effect there was no mention of proposing a split sentence or standing up for the 15 plus years of a productive and progressive life since t...he last incident. Mel seemed very busy at the time. Public defenders are up against a huge challenge I agree, being given cases that in large are undefend able, so the challenge should be to minimize the impact to the individual(appropriately) . They should understand the background of the defendant, not just the criminal background as so many DA's look at only. Where did this defendant come from, what have they accomplished, what were the circumstance in his or her life that led to this incident? The Probation report would detail that information, which is all validated. When you have a defendant who has lived a productive life but because of circumstance committed a crime (inexcusable ) there should be some consideration. If the DA and the Public defender would simply ask "why" five times before recommending a sentence, maybe the punishment would more appropriately fit the crime.