Atlanta Criminal Defense Law Blog

Opening arguments have begun in a 2012 Georgia murder case. The incident, which happened at Starlight Drive-In last May, occurred when the defendant allegedly shot the victim. Attorneys in the violent crimes case say the defendant was simply firing a warning shot at the decedent, a 28-year-old martial arts expert. The defendant is facing charges of felony murder, aggravated assault, and possession of a weapon during the commission of a felony. He is also charged with multiple counts of aggravated assault toward law enforcement officers, along with attempting to elude an officer.

Authorities report that the defendant, age 32, shot the victim as the younger man approached his vehicle at the drive-in. Attorneys for the defendant said the victim was acting suspiciously, leading the man to believe that he may have had a firearm.

A man from Smyrna, Georgia, a small town near Atlanta, has been indicted for white collar crimes in connection with an alleged $6 million in falsified tax returns. The man, age 37, is accused of stealing thousands of Americans’ identities in order to claim the false tax refunds. He is facing 16 counts each of wire fraud, aggravated identity theft and filing false claims. He also faces two counts of money laundering.

Authorities report that the man may have filed as many as 5,000 false tax returns during the period from January 2011 until April 2012. The reported victims’ names and social security numbers were obtained through criminal means, according to prosecution documents.

A Georgia jury has convicted a 21-year-old man in connection with the April 2010 death of a teenage girl. The youngster, who was 15-years-old at the time of her murder, reportedly mentioned the man in her diary. News media reports the man was found guilty of several murder charges in connection with the incident; among the 12 total counts listed were malice murder and criminal attempted rape.

Authorities reported the man killed the teen on April 28, 2010. He was accused of hiding the girl's body inside a mattress and dumped her in a forested area. The girl's body remained there for about seven months before it was finally located.

A Georgia man was indicted earlier this month in connection with a massive alleged identity theft fraud. The man is facing charges for the white-collar crime, which reportedly involved his possession of 100 fraudulent credit cards. He was arrested in February after a routine screening at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, when TSA officials noticed the large number of cards.

The man is charged with conspiracy, aggravated identity theft and possession of counterfeit access devices. He was arrested on March 4 by the Secret Service, after which he was also charged with possessing 15 or more counterfeit access devices. The 33-year-old man could ironically face 33 years' prison time if convicted on all counts. He could also end up paying close to a million dollars in fines in connection with the case, not counting potential restitution for money stolen from companies or individuals.

A Georgia man may spend 40 years behind bars after being found guilty of prostituting two teenage girls. A DeKalb County Superior Court convicted the man on a number of sex crime charges and other offenses, including false imprisonment, sex trafficking, sexual exploitation of children, obstruction and aggravated battery. He will be 88 years old when he is released from prison if he has not made parole by that time. A Superior Court judge also sentenced the defendant to 20 years of probation.

The defendant was accused of holding two teenage girls in a Decatur home for five weeks, during which time he reportedly served as their pimp. Prosecutors contend that he prostituted at least three other girls during the course of two years.

A 17-year-old Georgia boy is accused of two robbery-related shootings, one of which left a 13-month-old infant dead. The suspect faces one count of malice murder, assault with a deadly weapon and several other violent criminal charges. A 15-year-old boy was also indicted on seven counts in connection with the reported robberies, but police contend that the older suspect fired the fatal shot. Both teenagers are being tried as adults.

Authorities claim that the suspect attempted to rob a man at gunpoint earlier in the month, shooting the man in the arm after demanding that he hand over his wallet and cell phone. They contend that the suspect and his alleged accomplice attempted a second robbery 10 days after the shooting when they encountered a woman pushing a stroller as she walked home from the post office. Investigators assert that the boys asked the woman for money, shooting her in the leg when she refused. Police say that the suspect then fatally shot her young child in the head. Authorities believe the attacks were both random.

The public defenders representing the 36-year-old Georgia man accused in a string of 2011 rapes and robberies say they are confident the court will find their client innocent. Prosecutors allege that the man followed women to their homes on five separate locations in DeKalb County between October and November of 2011, after which they claim he threatened, robbed and sexually assaulted them. He currently faces a number of sex crime charges, including aggravated sodomy, multiple counts of rape, and aggravated sexual assault. He is also charged with robbery by force, aggravated assault and armed robbery.

One of the suspect's attorneys told the jury that the man was wrongfully accused of the crimes, pointing to "inconsistencies" in the case. Specifically, she pointed to inconsistent victim testimonies and the questionable reliability of DNA testing.

Three members of an Atlanta family will serve life in prison after being found guilty of sexually abusing children. A Georgia judge handed down multiple life sentences to each suspect, calling their alleged offenses among the worst she has seen in her judicial career. The three relatives were all charged with abusing young children between the years of 2004 and 2009.

The suspects consisted of a 45-year-old man, his 46-year-old sister and her 32-year-old daughter. The man was convicted on a number of sex crime charges, including aggravated sodomy, and sentenced to two consecutive life sentences. His sister was found guilty of charges including cruelty to children and rape and sentenced to 70 years in prison plus four consecutive life sentences. The 32-year-old suspect received the harshest penalty, sentenced to five life sentences plus 150 years for cruelty to children, rape, aggravated sodomy, sexual battery and other charges. Additionally, all three suspects were accused of aggravated child molestation.