The trial for the death of 14-year-old Ryan Rogers is set to take place in the coming months, but first, the Court must decide whether the alleged killer is competent. Public defenders have said it will be hard to maintain a fair trial for the defendant if the competency hearing is announced and discussed publicly. However, the judge disagreed, saying …

One of the most basic tenants of our criminal process system is the requirement that those who are being accused of a crime need to be competent to stand trial. This requirement works alongside the more well-known idea that an accused is innocent until proven guilty. This is because those who are accused of an alleged crime must be capable …

Dan Markel, a law professor at FSU, was shot and killed in his driveway in Betton Hills in July of 2014. Although it has been almost eight years since the murder, there was just a recent arrest made and an upcoming retrial. Prosecutors believe that the killing was a murder-for-hire plot, in which Sigfredo Garcia was the alleged shooter. Garcia …

In some special cases of a crime or attempted crime, the defendant may not been in the right mental state. The defendant may have not even have been aware of what they were doing, or that any consequences could arise with their actions. In this rare occurrence, the defendant may be able to claim the insanity plea. The insanity plea …

It is natural for parents to feel concerned about their children’s activities. This is intensified once kids reach the adolescent stage. Teenagers are known for testing the limits and trying new things—sometimes even things that are illegal. Leon County has a yearly program to try and build the bridge between parents and their children. Understanding the potential dangers that your …

When we think of teenagers, one thing that often comes to mind is that they tend to make mistakes. It makes sense—their brains aren’t fully developed yet, their bodies and minds are still developing, and the social stigma of looking “cool” to friends can often lead to some bad decisions. Young adults lack impulse control due to the fact that …

After almost 30 years, the victim of cold case is finally getting justice – all thanks to a beer can. The 1990 murder of Lou Beauregard, 68, was closed after lack of evidence and issues involving a psychic in trying to solve the case years ago. However, after North Palm Beach police department organized a cold case team in 2018, …

Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” law has been used as a defense in thousands of criminal cases where someone was injured or killed since its passage in 2005. If the defendant can prove that they were fearful for their life and acted out of self-defense, they may be able to get charges such as attempted murder or murder dropped. To read …

Getting accused of a child pornography crime is an extremely serious matter. Florida has extremely strict laws regarding child pornography, which you can read more about here. With a child pornography conviction comes high fines, long prison terms, sex offender registration, and the social stigma with family, friends, and peers. Although it may seem like an impossible charge to beat, …