The goal of every defense attorney is to protect the rights of his or her client throughout the criminal process and do what they can to achieve the best possible result. However, there are times when the evidence appears so stacked against an accused person that a criminal defense is particularly challenging. For instance, the felony charges against a former Ohio doctor involving the death of a woman and her unborn child clearly presented a daunting challenge to the legal counsel for the accused man..
The man admits he solicited sex for money through Craigslist, which is how the deceased happened to be at his home on the night she died. The doctor claims that, at some point, the woman injected herself with heroin despite being pregnant and nearly full-term. He claims that he was not aware she was in respiratory distress due to a heroin overdose. In fact, he says he is not even sure when exactly she passed away.
The doctor could have fled the country before the woman’s body was discovered. However, he stayed and pleaded guilty to felony charges of involuntary manslaughter and expressed his remorse for not paying enough attention to the woman to realize what was happening to her and her baby. Even though the man knew nothing he could say would help, he apologized to the family for this tragic accident.
Undoubtedly, this Ohio man’s defense counsel was fighting an uphill battle, especially since the man was a doctor. Prosecutors and their witnesses even attacked the presentation of an alternate theory of events leading to the felony charges. No matter how hard a defense team fights, not every case results in an acquittal. Nevertheless, in many cases — even in cases where a guilty plea is entered — the defense continues to fight after a conviction has occurred and a criminal sentence entered. Based upon a review of the trial court records, appellate issues may exist to vacate all or part any lower court proceedings that violated the legal rights of a criminal defendant.
Source: newschannel5.com, 36 Years For Ex-Ohio Doctor In Pregnant Mom Death, No author, Dec. 20, 2013