UPDATE: Ex-Police Officer Accused in the Killing of a Texas Prosecutor, District Attorney and his Wife
In a previous post, In the Line of Fire: How Dangerous is the Legal Profession, we reported a story in which a Texas District Attorney, his wife and a prosecutor were all murdered. At the time of the killings, the leading suspects ranged from the Mexican Cartel to the the Aryan Brotherhood. However, the wife of an ex-cop has come forward implicating her husband as the killer. The alleged killers name is Eric L. Williams. But William’s wife, Kim Williams, did not just turn her husband in, it turns out that she helped her husband plan the murders. According to the Associated Press, “Kim Williams, was arrested Wednesday and charged with capital murder for her alleged role in the killings”
Eric L. Williams was an officer with at least 10 different agencies from 1987 to 2010. That included a stint as a deputy with the Kaufman County Sheriff’s Department. He is being held on a $3 million bail while Kim Williams is being held on a $10 million bail.
Legal Links 4/12: Legal, Sports and Weird News
MLB: Carlos Quentin rushes mound, breaks Zack Greinke’s collar bone (ESPN)
Packers A.J. Hawk said QB Aaron Rodgers is “going to get a billion dollars, probably.” (ESPN)
A breakdown of how the top agents sign college athletes (Bloomberg)
Ex-congresswoman to head panel who claim aliens exist (Detroit News)
Palm Beach billionaire won a $380k fake wine suit, may have spent over $10 million in legal fees (ABA)
Paralegal claims her former employer sexually harassed her, made her, “feed him with chopsticks.” (ABA)
Former nurse sentenced to 99 years in prison for poisoning babies could get out as early as 2018 (HLN)
Mugshot of the Week: Man Pulled over for Double Texting, Arrested
Dandre Moore (pictured above) has taken texting and driving to a whole new level – the double text. According to WCBV in Mobile, Alabama, Moore was caught double texting while driving. The 19-year-old had a phone in each hand, was texting on both phones, and driving with his knees. No amateur to double texting, Moore told deputies that he has been double texting since he was 15. Upon further investigation police found Xanax and marijuana in that car.
Legal Links 4/11: Legal, Sports and Weird News
For legal purposes, are zombies dead or alive? (ABA Journal)
Accused killer Arias tweeting from jail… Kind of (Fox)
$540 million verdict over Hepatitis C, “Health care industry needs to wake up.” (ABA)
Someone mailed a goat’s head to Wrigley Field, addressed to the clubs owner (ESPN)
Patriot’s CB gets 30 days in jail, to be served next year… (CBS Sports)
Rutgers lawyer resigns amidst fallout (ESPN)
Dubai police force adds Lamborghini squad car “to impress tourists” (Fox)
State of Florida Releases Evidence in Michael Dunn (Jordan Davis) Case… Again.
The State of Florida released additional evidence today, the fourth (or so) such release it has made. We do not understand the release of information in this fashion or why some of it is even up for public consumption, but here has what has been released thus far.
As we have said from the beginning, these boys were defiled and defamed and they do not need to keep reliving it every week with another release of information. For those of you trying to keep up, here it is in one place- all linked directly from WJXT, First Coast News and Action News.
Legal Links 4/8: Legal, Sports and Weird News
Worst of the worst lawyer commercial Elite 8 (C&S)
Former Auburn football player to serve three years after pleading guilty to first-degree robbery (ESPN)
14-year-old to compete at Masters, youngest ever (NY Times)
Illinois is making the BAR more difficult to pass, check out the list of the 10 hardest BAR exams (ABA)
Legal job market good news, bad news: The good news is that March saw the highest increase in legal jobs in over a year (ABA) the bad news is that half of 2011 law grads cannot afford a house due to law school debt (ABA)
Several states pushing for gold and silver to be used as legal tender (Bloomberg)
German thieves steal 5.5 tons ($20,000) worth of Nutella (AP)
Drones getting use in India – to protect rhinos from poachers (ABC)
David Mobley Driving 300 yards- With a Putter
The Longest Putt at Murray Brothers CaddyShack Charity Golf Tournament by pro golfer David Mobley.
The Gopher Tackle at Murray Brothers CaddyShack Charity Golf Tournament
The Gopher Tackle at Murray Brothers CaddyShack Charity Golf Tournament
Pro Golfer David Mobley Hits One “Off The Face”
Murray Brothers CaddyShack Charity Golf is about the best time you can have. My office is a sponsor. David Mobley camped out at our hole and hit some unique shots- like this one -off someone’s face.
CaddyShack
For the last several years, my law office has sponsored the Murray Brothers Charity Golf Tournament. Great year once again.
The Worst of the Worst Lawyer Commercials
UPDATE: We originally posted this list of the worst of the worst lawyer commercials in April 2013. But today, the list has certainly been topped. Remember Sweet Brown? The “Ain’t nobody got Time for that” lady? Well we have just discovered that she was hired to act in a lawyer commercial. Attorney Brian Loncar has hired Sweet Brown to act in his latest marketing ploy… Ain’t nobody got time for that.
Michael Dunn- Understanding the Man who Killed Jordan Davis (Part 3, the evidence)
Michael Dunn- Understanding the Man who Killed Jordan Davis (Part 3, the evidence)
New evidence was released today in Michael Dunn’s criminal case for the murder of Jordan Davis and attempted murder of three other young men. Since day one, we have had to fight defamation and offensive rhetoric and spin and argument that Michael Dunn was credible and the victims were not credible. We had to take this on because the reputations and memories of these fine boys will not be tarnished. We will not let them be victimized in what is supposed to be “justice.” Read more 
Texas DA and Wife Shot and Killed – In the Line of Fire: How Dangerous is the Legal Profession?
In a previous post, we discussed how dangerous the legal profession can be. In the post, In the Line of Fire: How Dangerous is the Legal Profession, we broke down recent events in which attorneys were faced with danger, injured or killed in result of their legal careers.
Tuesday morning, tragic news struck the legal community. A Texas prosecutor, district attorney Mike McLelland, and his wife, Cynthia McLelland (both pictured on left) were murdered in their homes Tuesday morning. This comes only a few months after McLelland made a public statement in which he vowed to hunt down the person who murdered his former boss, assistant DA Mark Hasse. While investigators have kept quiet on who the suspects could be, there are a few unverified reports that the Arian Brotherhood, a white supremacy group, is behind the slayings. Other reports are guessing that the Mexican drug cartel is behind the murders. The office that McLelland worked for prosecuted criminals with ties to the Arian Brotherhood as well as the Mexican drug cartel. McLelland said in a previous interview that racist gangs could be working with the Mexican cartel. McLelland said he could not comment on whether, “low-level Mexican cartels have had involvement with the Aryan Brotherhood in Texas regarding methamphetamine trafficking,” or if it was “possible the Aryan Brotherhood is either acting as hitmen or paying prosecutors back.” However, recent reports are denying any involvement by the Arian Brotherhood.
Additionally, the DA office that McLelland worked at has publicly advised prosecutors to begin carry handguns “within the letter of the law.”
Whatever the case may be, this is a tragic story. Whether it was a racist gang or the Mexican drug cartel, two innocent people are dead. A man who was fighting for the safety or his community, and our country’s borders, and his wife, are now gone. Please keep the McLelland family in your thoughts as this investigation unfolds.
Legal Links 4/2: Legal, Sports and Weird News
Rutgers basketball coach berated, cursed, pushed threw balls at players and used racial slurs (ESPN)
Legality of gambling on fantasy sports, what’s the line? (C&S)
If SCOTUS justice Ginsburg retires, who will Obama choose next? (ABA) End of a Conservative Supreme Court? (FORBES)
Conn. moves towards most strict gun laws yet (Boston.com) while a GA town passes law requiring citizens to own guns (Reuters)
Michael Jackson’s wrongful death trial to begin (CNN)
Two mothers brawl at children’s Easter egg hunt (CBS Seattle)
The Legality of Online Gambling on Fantasy Sports: What’s the Line?
As quickly as online poker sites are being shut down, or moved to some obscure island, daily fantasy sports gambling websites are popping up. While the government cracks down on online gambling and sports betting, “daily” fantasy sports betting is beating the odds. Legally, the differentiation that makes one form of online gambling legal, and another illegal, is whether it is a game of chance or a game of skill. Fantasy sports have been deemed a “game of skill” in most states, therefore legalizing gambling on the activity. Before we go all in, it
is important to understand what fantasy sports are, what “daily” fantasy sports are, and where the two stand in the legal spectrum.
Many sports fans already participate in and understand how fantasy sports work (If you are not familiar with fantasy sports click here for more information). Unlike traditional sports betting, where you bet on a single
outcome of an event, fantasy sports rely on the total daily or weekly productivity of all of your players combined, for the duration of that sport’s season. This requires more skill than just picking a team to win a game. A fantasy manager must decide who to draft, trade and who to bench or who to start based on several factors. Daily fantasy sports take the level of skill required a step further than season long fantasy. In daily games, a manager picks players for a one day period of time, as opposed to drafting players at the beginning of the season. We will get in to the differentiating factors below.
