I’ve consulted with many attorneys on a wide range of cases. Here are some examples, with applied narrative strategy, and outcome.
Murder: We told the story of a recklessly uncertain prosecution witness that lacked credibility. Acquitted of all charges
Murder, robbery knife allegation: The DA depicted the defendant as an angry loner. Through his actions, we showed him to be a shy, intelligent introvert. We also destroyed the character of the key “cooperating witness” as an opportunistic snitch. Acquitted of charges
Felony domestic violence, possession of drug paraphernalia, misdemeanor child neglect: In this domestic abuse case, we showed the mutual escalation between defendant and victim that led to the incident, and his lack of knowledge of the presence of a child. Misdemeanor child neglect charge dropped
Attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, three counts of dissuading witness from testifying: The D.A. claimed the incident was gang-related attempted hit. We told the story through jailhouse call transcriptions of the defendant as impetuous boyfriend who acted out of jealousy, and established that the key witness (his girlfriend) as a fickle lover wanting to be rid of him. Attempted murder charge dropped after jury deadlocked
Vehicular manslaughter, hit and run causing death: The D.A. claimed this was a hit-and-run after a wild night of drinking. We showed through the defendant’s actions of that day, that he is a thoughtful, conscientious young man who was unaware of hitting anything, that leaving an accident is completely outside his character, and that the incident was a tragic mistake. Acquitted of all charges
Misdemeanor possession of controlled substance: The police found the defendant sitting in her car in a park after closing, searched the car and found drugs. We established her character as a reformed addict, a caring mother and responsible worker. We also presented a narrative of the drugs having been in the car when she bought it used 12 months ago. Case settled before trial
Misdemeanor petty theft, child endangerment: According to the D.A., the defendant left his children in the car to shoplift in a supermarket. We told the story of a harried father stopping at the market and rushing in to buy dinner supplies for his family, then rushing back to the car to get his forgotten money, and inadvertently bringing the grocery cart outside the store. Case settled before trial.