Jacksonville Criminal Defense Attorney Blog

It was Terrance Jamar Graham’s case that led the U.S. Supreme Court two years ago to ban life sentences for juveniles who don’t kill anyone. And while many others have benefited and seen reduced sentences since the 2010 ruling, Graham’s day came last week for his life sentence to be cut down. Graham’s criminal defense…

The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office has shifted some of its traffic enforcement priorities, giving drivers more warnings instead of tickets that come with hefty fines and penalties. The department more than doubled its warning tickets in 2011 to almost 40,000, according to a report in the Florida Times-Union. At the same time, traffic tickets issued dropped…

A man and a woman in a car with West Virginia plates are facing drug trafficking charges after police found more than 1,200 pills between them. Police approached the parked car and, when they asked the two to step outside, both were acting nervous, according to a report on First Coast News. Police then saw…

Two Jacksonville parents should soon learn their fate in their separate fights against manslaughter charges after their two children – 3 and 6 – were left at home alone and drowned in the neighbor’s pool. A decision has already been made regarding the father, Markanthony O. Ibeagwa, but the judge has ordered the verdict sealed…

Police have released an 18-year-old man they initially charged in a shopping mall shooting and charged another teen with two counts of attempted murder and carrying a concealed weapon. Keith Brown was released from jail, four days after he was arrested and charged in Jacksonville – despite vehement denials, according to a report from News4Jax.…

A girl who helped spray red paint into the eyes and nose of a historic and vaunted marble lion on the Bridge of Lions in St. Augustine will be on Florida probation until she’s 19. The girl, whose name was not released because she is a juvenile, will also have to complete 40 hours of…

A Jacksonville man bloodied an intruder he found standing in front of his television one morning last week, shortly after his girlfriend had left for work. The resident was in the bathroom of his Westside Jacksonville home and, when he walked into the living room, he saw a man standing there, according to a report…

The number of women arrested for Driving Under the Influence has jumped 36 percent, while arrests of men for the same charge are down 10 percent, research shows. The new stats were compiled by AAA and reported by News4Jax. The study comes on the heels of another report that Jacksonville has the fourth most DUI…

A Clay County child abduction and killing that grabbed national headlines reached its legal conclusion this week, as Jared Harrell pleaded guilty to killing 7-year-old Somer Thompson. As part of the deal, the state agreed not to seek the death penalty against Harrell, 26. He pleaded guilty to six counts, including murder and rape in…

Federal sentencing guidelines called for 10 years in prison for Tony Nelson, a Jacksonville businessman convicted of accepting bribes in his role as chairman of the Jacksonville Port Authority. Last week, Nelson was sentenced to 40 months in prison – exactly one-third of the time recommended by the guidelines. He was convicted in May of…