Our client heard a car wreck along a road near his house around midnight. Living in the country, he went to investigate and grabbed his phone, a flashlight, and his gun before leaving the house. Our client found the driver was drunk and a fight ensued. Our client shot and fatally wounded the driver. Our client was charged with First Degree Murder, which carried a life sentence, Aggravated Battery, a Class X felony, and Aggravated Discharge of a Firearm, a Class 1 felony. A team of attorneys including Douglas Johnson and our investigative team immediately went to work on the case and a defense was built. Although most murder cases can take years before they go to trial, our client needed to get this case behind him so we pressed the State hard and we pushed the case to trial in just six months. After hearing all of the evidence from the State and the Defense, and the arguments from our team, it took the jury less than an hour to find our client Not Guilty on all counts. Not Guilty of First Degree Murder, Aggravated Battery, and Aggravated Discharge of a Firearm. Murder cases are normally very difficult to win but our team was able to get the job done and JL was able to return home to his family and put this difficult matter behind him.
Not Guilty First Degree Murder, Aggravated Battery, and Aggravated Discharge of a Firearm!