Three of the top homicide prosecutors for the United States Attorney's Office in Washington DC have decided to leave their positions only months after Ronald C. Machen, Jr., was appointed the District's newest US Attorney to oversee the office. Assistant US Attorneys Glenn L. Kirschner, Deborah Sines, and Daniel Zachem are all leaving their posts after careers filled with the prosecution of high-profile homicide cases.

Glenn Kirschner, head of the US Attorney's Office homicide unit for the past six years, is stepping aside to return to trying cases. Kirschner is notable for prosecuting the Robert Wone conspiracy case in which three of Wone's housemates were accused of covering up his fatal stabbing in 2006. The three were acquitted. DC criminal defense lawyer Vincent H. Cohen, Jr., who has been tapped as the newest US Attorney's right-hand man, observed the Wone trial.

Also returning to full-time prosecution of homicide cases is Deborah Sines, considered the homicide unit's second in command. One of Sines's most notorious cases was the prosecution of Banita Jacks, who was convicted last year of killing her four daughters, aged 5-17.

Leaving homicide prosecution to spend more time with his family is Assistant US Attorney Daniel Zachem. Zachem has recently been criticized for failing to sign an arrest warrant for a suspected drug dealer only days before the man was allegedly involved in a drive-by shooting that killed four people and injured six others.

While the DC United States Attorney's Office has been disparaged by victims' rights advocates who claim that the office only prosecutes cases with a high likelihood of conviction, US Attorney Ronald Machen disputes the allegations, saying that arresting suspects without proper evidence results in a violation of the rights of the accused. Such procedural violations could result in the acquittal of a violent criminal.

This article is presented by Price Benowitz, LLP, a criminal and DUI defense firm serving Washington DC, Maryland, and Virginia. For more information, please visit our Maryland Criminal Attorney or Virginia Criminal Lawyer websites.

Continue reading "Three Leading Assistant US Attorneys in DC to Step Down" »

A Maryland man was convicted of first degree murder in the 1990 shooting of the son of a retired Washington DC homicide detective. John B. Holmes, 40, was accused of shooting Ronald Jones, Jr., then 22, after a traffic argument twenty years ago. According to witness testimony, Jones and his friends began arguing with another driver, identified as Holmes, who pulled out a .357 magnum when they approached a traffic light and shot Jones four times.

While several years went by without a suspect, an acquaintance of Holmes, Rodney Hunt, eventually told authorities in 2003 that he was following Holmes after a party and witnessed the shooting. After Hunt's tip, a friend of Jones identified Holmes as the shooter from a photograph in 2007, seventeen years after the incident. John Holmes was charged with the murder in 2008. Holmes's Washington DC criminal defense attorney argued that Hunt is a convicted criminal himself, and that he falsely identified Holmes as the shooter in an effort to seek revenge against his former friend.

Prosecutors called John Holmes a "remorseless killer," but his DC criminal defense lawyers say that there is no DNA evidence linking their client to the scene, and that the evidence in the case is based on questionable eyewitness identification. Despite such shaky evidence during the four day trial, a DC Superior Court jury took less than two hours to return a guilty verdict for John Holmes.Holmes's sentencing is scheduled for October 29, 2010.

This article is presented by Price Benowitz, LLP, a criminal and DUI defense firm serving Washington DC, Maryland, and Virginia. For more stories like this one, please visit our Maryland DUI Lawyer blog.

Continue reading "DC Homicide Lawyer: Man Found Guilty in 1990 Road Rage Death" »

On July 8, Harry T. Alexander, a Superior Court judge and DC federal criminal lawyer, died of cardiopulmonary arrest at the age of 85. Judge Alexander was known as a judicial and civil rights activist during his legal career, and his outspoken, charismatic approach polarized the community.

In 1966, Alexander was appointed to the DC Court of General Sessions, which later became known as the DC Superior Court. During his career as a judge, Alexander's proponents praised his support of civil rights and his "conscientious and effective judicial service." His critics decried his methods, which included making "intemperate and injudicious remarks tending to downgrade" those appearing before him. In 1972, a judicial commission publicly censured Judge Alexander, noting at least one case where it appeared that Alexander's personal bias interfered with his judicial obligation. In that case, Alexander chastised a white officer, who did not use the prefix "Mrs." when referring to a black witness, and he refused to let the officer complete his testimony. When the prosecution asked for a continuance because the officer was not allowed to finish testifying, Judge Alexander dismissed the case.

In 1976, Judge Alexander decided not to seek reappointment, and he began practicing as a DC federal criminal lawyer. As a defense attorney, Alexander's most notorious client was Hamaas Abdul Khaalis, leader of the Hanafi Muslim sect which seized three downtown Washington buildings in a 39-hour standoff with dozens of hostages. One person was killed during the siege. The Hanafis were found guilty of kidnapping and murder, and Alexander was criticized for his courtroom behavior. According to a DC Court of Appeals, which upheld the convictions, Alexander "made improper opening remarks to the jury, argued with witnesses, interrupted the court, commented on the testimony and the court's rulings, asked improper questions, and 'baited' the court." His unorthodox behavior continued, and in 1985, Alexander was suspended from practicing law for two years as a result of disciplinary violations. He never practiced law again; however, he continued to insist upon being called "Judge," saying, "A judge keeps his title until someone takes it away or until he dies."

This article is presented by Price Benowitz, LLP, a criminal and DUI defense firm serving Washington DC, Maryland, and Virginia. Please contact us for a free consultation. For more stories like this one, please visit our Maryland DUI Lawyers blog.

Continue reading "Washington, DC Defense Lawyer and Judge Dies" »