Los Angeles Criminal Defense Attorney Blog

A man dressed as Santa Claus opened fire at his relative's house in Los Angeles suburb of Covina killing 9 people and then shooting himself after going to the house at almost midnight. The shooter then set fire to the scene starting a Los Angeles arson and then fled the scene, traveling 40 miles to Sylmar, California and then killed himself. Had the gunman lived, he could have been charged with a Los Angeles murder. In fact, he could have faced capital murder charges, also called murder with special circumstances. In California, a person that commits murder in the commission of a Los Angeles arson crime, could be charged with the death penalty. In addition, the special circumstances of the multiple murders also could lead to the death penalty. These crimes are defended by a Los Angeles homicide crime defense attorney.

Continue reading " Christmas Eve shooting in Los Angeles Suburb of Covina Ends with Arson " »

I want to wish everyone in the Los Angeles and Southern California area who reads or is redirected to this Los Angeles and Southern California Criminal Defense Blog a Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah. This blog is now six months old and I am pleased that it seems to have helped so many people. I have received many comments from people around the area that they have been helped by the information here.

In an attempt to wrap it up for the year I want to make sure that people are safe for this holiday season. I also want those people people who get into a Los Angeles DUI that if they should be stopped by the police in at a Southern California DUI checkpoint, or by Los Angeles law enforcement, that a Los Angeles DUI defense attorney is available 24/7 to assist if you or a loved one.

Because Southern California DUIs are taken so seriously, you need to know your rights and responsibilities. Remember you do not need to take the Los Angeles Law Enforcement PAS test in the field. If you are stopped by the police make sure to be polite. If they ask you to take the Los Angeles field sobriety tests you must comply. But if they ask or demand that you take a PAS test you are allowed to refuse. It is the recommendation of this Los Angeles DUI defense attorney to refuse this test. It can only be used against you. If you blow a significant BAC then you will be arrested. If you are taken to the police station you will be offered a choice of the breath or blood test. The choice is yours. But try to delay the test as long as possible. The law requires that the blood test must be taken with a specific time. If it is not done within the allotted time then the results will be thrown out in court.

Continue reading " Christmas and Holiday Wishes From Los Angeles and Southern California " »

2008 is almost over and the star studded, celebrity crimes including Los Angeles DUIs, Southern California drug possessions, and other movie star crimes is in its final countdown for the year end.

In Los Angeles, celebrities not only entertain us in the movies, on TV and in theaters, but also on the nightly news. Just as there is a countdown to the top music hits and movies for the year, so do we countdown the top celebrity crimes and sex scandals.

A brief summary of those crimes are as follows:

Britney Spears, Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan have been the top eye catchers this year. Jail time, rehab time, and parenting counseling have led all stars to the front line of the blogging circuit. All have found themselves in the Los Angeles DUI headines being represented by top notch Los Angeles and Southern California DUI criminal defense attorneys.

Amy Winehouse may have won 5 Grammys this year, but she will always be remembered for her drug induced behavior including smoking crack cocaine and becoming thinner then anyone could possibly believe. Once again she attempted to find her way to rehab only to try, try again.

Actor David Duchovny made the news this year for his sex scandal followed by a confession that he was entering rehab to avoid falling into a hole of sex addiction. While Los Angeles sex crimes are waning in the last year, celebrity sex scandals are hitting an all time high. The role that Duchovny plays in his Emmy nominated role as sex-obsessed writer Hank Moody in Showtime's Californication, is eerily similar to his real life confessions. Oddly enough, he will be back again this year playing the same role on screen he is trying to vex from his system in his personal life.

Madonna did not escape the year of controversy when she was rumored to have a sex affair with the Yankee star Alex Rodriquez. This might not have seemed to be such a wild story but it was soon followed up by behind the scene statements that she and her husband of many years, Guy Richie, were breaking up.

Continue reading " Celebrity Crime and Show Business Meltdowns in Los Angeles Almost Done for 2008 " »

A Los Angeles driver of a Bentley Continental was shot and killed late at night this week while driving on the 101 freeway near downtown Los Angeles. While shootings and murders are not uncommon in this Southern California city, violent crime rates with the use of weapons had recently been published as falling significantly.

Now that the person who committed this violent crime needs to contact a Los Angeles violent crimes defense attorney who has extensive experience on handling both Southern California murder cases, and who practices as a Southern California weapons crime defense attorney.

Now that the victim died, the person who pulled the trigger, or the person who knowingly drove the vehicle with the shooter inside, could be charged with murder. Shooting from a motor vehicle is a capital crime if convicted the person could be charged with the death penalty, also called capital murder.

The person who either committed this crime, or who helped in any way needs to contact a Los Angeles pre-filing criminal defense attorney. There may be several defenses to this crime, but the police will be looking to pin a murder case on who ever was involved. Even though violent crime has recently fallen, there are still many murders occurring in the Los Angeles area.

In fact, almost all of the serious crimes, except Los Angeles DUI charges handled by a Los Angeles DUI defense attorney, had been falling in recent years due to increase policing activities by local law enforcement. The unnamed motorist was driving his $200,000 vehicle on the highway when he crashed into the center median. Other cars stopped to render aide, but found that the driver had not been in just a simple car wreck, but had been peppered with bullets.

The crime scene that ensued snarled traffic in excess of 8 hours. Police state that a 25-year-old man was driving the luxury car on the freeway and was found unconscious and riddled with bullets. He was in critical condition and not expected to live when he was admitted to the hospital. He later died.

Police could not find any reason for the murder, nor were there any clues as to who was the shooter(s). Police are now turning to traffic and security cameras to see if the crime was caught on video. Police are clueless if this was a random shooting or a gang murder.

Continue reading " Los Angeles Celebrity Car Peppered with Bullets on Southern California Highway " »

The number of expungements being granted in Los Angeles and Southern California has significantly risen in recent years. Expungement is a legal word for cleaning up a criminal record. It appears that people charged with a Los Angeles DUI or other crime are now filing requests for expungements pursuant to Penal Code 1203.4 at a much higher rate then they have in the past. Why you might ask? Well in the past, criminal defendants were punished by the court and their criminal records became a part of who the person was from that time forward. Now-a-days, good upstanding people who had one or two convictions want to remain productive and not allow a conviction to ruin their life.

California courts have taken a new approach in handling these matters. The judges seem to realize that those people previously charged with a crime and having completed probation successfully are rehabilitated enough to clean up their criminal records.

If you wish to have your criminal record expunged, then you should contact a Los Angeles expungement lawyer. You will need to make sure that the attorney has experience in filing these motions and arguing them before a court. Often times the District Attorney in the courtroom will object to the expungement and it will take a capable lawyer to make the necessary legal arguments to convince a judge that you deserve the clearing of your record.

Continue reading " Expungements in Los Angeles on the Increase " »

While Britney Spears is having a great time traveling around Los Angeles and Southern California, he first husband, Jason Alexander, has been sentenced to jail time for a probation violation in his Los Angeles DUI case. He was represented by a Los Angeles and Southern California DUI defense attorney, who reached a great plea bargain in the case. However, Mr. Alexander did not comply with the terms of probation and now he has been sentenced to jail time.

You may remember Jason was the young man from her home town that Britney married in Las Vegas for a grand total of 55 hours in 2004. Pressure from the world led to a quick divorce for the two, but not before Mr. Alexander became world famous over night.

In 2006, Jason Alexander was stopped for a DUI investigation in Los Angeles and later pled guilty, and was placed on probation with strict terms and conditions. The 27 year-old was sentenced to 10 days of jail time for failing to attend 2 court ordered meetings at the Los Angeles County Morgue as part of his DUI conviction.

Along with his other terms of probation, Jason was also ordered to take alcohol education classes. Mr. Alexander will be back in court on February 2, 2009 to see the judge again.

Continue reading " Britney Spears Husband in Jail for Probabtion Violation on Los Angeles DUI case " »

An Academy Award winning screenwriter was criminally charged with the DUI death in near Los Angeles. Roger Avary, the writer of "Pulp Fiction" was charged with manslaughter in the death that resulted from his Southern California DUI almost a year ago.

After completing a full and thorough investigation of all of the facts, law enforcement charged the Ojai resident. Avary pled not guilty to the charges of vehicular manslaughter. The Ventura County Sheriff's Department officials stated that Avary was driving drunk and his car slid into a telephone pole fatally injuring a passenger, Andreas Zini, who was visiting from Italy. Avary's wife was thrown from the car and received sever injuries, but survived.

The prosecution could have filed the more sever charge of "Watson Murder" for the DUI death. Apparently, Avary hired a Los Angeles pre-filing DUI defense attorney. By doing so, facts and other information can be brought to the attention of law enforcement resulting in a more clear refined case being filed, sparing Avary a life behind bar.

Continue reading " Los Angeles Academy Award Winning Screenwriter Charged with DUI Death " »

Mark Ruffalo's brother was found dead in his Beverly Hills apartment after a gunshot killed the young man in this Los Angeles city. Scott Ruffalo, 39, was pronounced dead at Cedars Sinai Medical Center. A woman that was wanted for questioning was initially arrested and held with no bail. According to those in the know, her Los Angeles criminal defense attorney met with the detectives from the Beverly Hill s Police Department.

After a careful review of the facts, the woman,Shaha Mishaal Adham, known to be a Saudi princess, was released from custody. Apparently, she was scared and left the location of the shooting after she went to Ruffalo's residence to retrieve keys to her SUV.

Police learned that Ruffalo was playing "Russian Roulette" with a hand gun when the gun went off. Facts now show that the woman was not involved, but merely was a witness to a horrible crime.

Continue reading " Actor Mark Ruffalo's Brother Dies From Gunshot in Los Angeles " »

Macaulay Culkin's sister died yesterday as a result of being hit by a car in the Los Angeles area. The driver of the car complied with California law by stopping, rendering aid, and identifying himself. Unfortunately, Dakota Culkin, the 29-year-old sister of the actor died as a result of massive head trauma at UCLA.

In many cases, the driver's in these types of accidents are so scared and confused by what happened, they often leave the scene of the accident. This along is a crime and can result in a state prison commitment. If you, or a loved on is involved in a hit and run accident, then contact Los Angeles criminal defense attorney Michael Kraut at the Kraut Law Group. It is important to call an attorney immediately, Often times hiring a pre-filing Los Angeles defense attorney can make all of the difference between being charged with a crime, or receiving an exoneration from the police and the prosecutors.

Continue reading " Macaulay Culkin's Sister Dies After Being Hit By a Car in Los Angeles " »

The verdict that was heard around Los Angeles and Southern California ended today with the judge sentencing OJ Simpson to serious prison time. The jury returned verdicts for the robbery at a casino near the Sunset Strip, in Las Vegas.

Oddly enough, the man who captivated a world during the "trial of the century," was no longer being idolized. Today one of Las Vegas' toughest judges sentenced 61 year-old Simpson to a maximum of 33 years in prison. However, he will be eligible to be released on parole in as little as 9 years.

This case ended with verdict exactly 13 years to the date that the Los Angeles jury acquitted Simpson of the double murder of his wife, Nicole, and her friend, Ron Goldman. Feelings around of satisfaction rang clear from San Bernardino to Orange County to Long Beach. The general feeling in that the imprisonment of OJ was a long time coming.

A multi-cultural reaction of both African Americans and whites seemed to be almost universally satisfied with the verdict. Most felt that justice was served to Simpson, if not for this crime alone, then for the double murders in 1994.

The case that lead to his prison sentence involved a failed robbery attempt to get sports memorabilia that may or may not have belonged to Simpson. In 2007, Simpson and some of his friends brought weapons and a bad attitude to a hotel room where much of the activities were caught on audio and video recordings. Simpson denied there was a gun, but the evidence and jury disagreed.

Appeals will be filed, but for the next 9 years, Simpson will be in custody, most likely in solitary confinement for his safety.

Continue reading " Los Angeles Sees an End to the OJ Simpson Saga as OJ is Sentenced to Prison " »

During this past Thanksgiving holiday weekend a total of 8 people were killed in traffic accidents in the greater Los Angeles area. This number, while significant, is the exact same number as last year during the same period. The California Highway Patrol made this report public on Monday after the weekend ended. The CHP reported that one of those killed was pregnant at the time she died.

While the number of traffic related deaths had not changed, the number of DUI arrests in Los Angeles was up from last year. CHP officers made a total of 331arrests in Los Angeles County, up from 320 arrests last year. This rise is significant because statewide, the total number of DUI arrests was down over last year.

DUI arrests significantly harm those convicted of the charges. Not only do they have to pay high fines and costs, but in many cases, they may loose their jobs, ability to drive, and for he first time, have a criminal record. If you have been arrested or charged with a DUI, Los Angeles DUI defense attorney Michael Kraut will be able to help you.

Continue reading " DUI Arrests In Los Angeles For The Thanksgiving Holiday Were Once Again High " »