Quote:
Originally Posted by speeder
Jim, I hate to say it, but this is a cautionary tale about the legal system. You're friend must have had a schit lawyer if he pled to that after the circumstances you described. I'll bet the farm that there was no trial.
Yes, avoid violence at all costs. But if you ever have to defend yourself and someone else gets hurt, Keep your ******* mouth shut when the cops arrive! Not one word, other than "I want a lawyer". You have absolutely nothing to gain at that point, and everything to lose. Do not assist them in their investigation to charge you with a crime, which you may or may not be guilty of.
And find a real trial lawyer who is not afraid to take it to trial, and that the city attorney knows will take it there and probably win. That changes things pronto. Just like the "most people have never thrown a punch", most lawyers have never been in a trial. Especially a criminal trial. Yes, you read that right. If you are using some real estate or defective refrigerator attorney because he's your brother-in-law or neighbor, (extremely common when non-criminal types get charged w/ something), you are hosed. They will start to shake like a dog schitting chicken bones when the thought of going to trial comes up and just grab their ankles for the prosecutor, then tell you that "this is the best deal you're going to get.."
A real trial lawyer, (like my Dad FWIW), just like a real fighter, relishes the battle, rarely loses, and it's the prosecutors that are shaking usually. He would have walked your buddy and had him suing the guy w/ the mouth for hitting your guy w/ his face.  |
I agree 100% it was a railroading. The kid he punched never showed up in court once. It went before a judge but not a jury. The County Prosecutor was a militant lesbian man hater and I think the fact that my friend was in a strip club with his girlfriend is what killed him. I could not believe it either and would have fought it.
He also fled the scene and looks the part, covered in tattoo's and piercings. He probably had a crappy lawyer, I though the whole deal stuck to high heaven.
There was more to this too, he ran around the truck and told the passanger not to even think of getting out and he did not. Meanwhile the drunk friends proceeded to kick some dents in the truck break the back window and piss on the truck. It was pretty out of hand.
The guy that guy punched worked in a shoe store and was telling everyone afterwards he was involved in a bad drug deal. They ran into each other in a regular club about 6 months later and almost went to fists again.