Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Trials this week, and dispositions from last week

Jury trials this week:

299TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT/ JUDGE BAIRD

DEFENDANT: JULIO HERNANDEZ-MARTINEZ

OFFENSE: AGGRAVATED SEXUAL ASSAULT OF CHILD

PROSECUTORS: JEREMY SYLESTINE and VICTORIA WINKELER

DEF. ATTORNEY: ARNOLD GARCIA


390TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT/ JUDGE KOCUREK

DEFENDANT: AURELIA GALLARDO

OFFENSE: ABANDON/ENDANGER CHILD

PROSECUTORS: JOE FREDERICK and BEVERLY MATTHEWS

DEF. ATTORNEY: JODI CALLAWAY COLE



427TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT/ JUDGE CORONADO

DEFENDANT: RAFAEL PINTO

OFFENSE: INDECENCY W/CHILD

PROSECUTORS: LESLIE BOOKER and JACKIE WOOD

DEF. ATTORNEY: FRANCIS WILLIAMS



Results of trials from last week:

147TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT/ JUDGE FLOWERS

DEFENDANT: JOHN BETLISKEY

OFFENSE: AGGRAVATED ASSAULT w/ DEADLY WEAPON

PROSECUTORS: JASON KNUTSON and CHRIS BAUGH

DEF. ATTORNEY: JON EVANS


VERDICT:

Jury found Defendant Guilty
Jury sentenced Defendant to life in prison plus a $10,000 fine.


403RD JUDICIAL DISTRICT/ JUDGE KENNEDY

DEFENDANT: WILLIAM GOODE

OFFENSE: AGGRAVATED ASSAULT w/ DEADLY WEAPON

PROSECUTORS: JUDY SHIPWAY and KATIE SWEETEN

DEF. ATTORNEY: KEITH LAUERMAN


VERDICT:
Jury found Defendant Guilty
Jury sentenced Defendant to 45 yrs TDC

7 comments:

  1. Assistant County AttorneyFebruary 2, 2010 at 10:51 AM

    So I'm assuming the Capital Murder trial is still ongoing? Have they picked a jury yet, and are they going to ask for the death penalty?

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  2. Could someone give some background here, please? I was a member of the jury that found William Goode guilty. I was surprised to learn that the sentence, imposed by the judge, is 45 years. I assume there is more to the story than we were told, and am curious to know more. Thanks.

    (My name is George. I am clicking on "anonymous" only for convenience.)

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  3. Does Travis County always use two prosecutors in felony trials?

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  4. ACA: yes, the murder trial is ongoing, they are still picking the jury. The reason it's taking so long is that yes, they are seeking the death penalty.

    George: thanks for checking in, and thanks for your service on the jury. I have it that the jury assessed punishment, which is obviously wrong. I'll try and find out more and let you know (not in the office today!).

    jigmeister: Yes, we always have two prosecutors. The first chair is whoever inherited the case from the grand jury division, and the second chair is (usually) someone else assigned to that court.

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  5. Assistant County AttorneyFebruary 2, 2010 at 3:41 PM

    I figured that's why it's still ongoing. I've never been a part of a capital case, but I've heard that the jury selection for one is an absolute nightmare, even with huge juror questionnaires. There was a post recently on the TDCAA message board about a judge who gave each side 22.5 minutes for specific voir dire to pick a capital jury, which in my mind borders on judicial misconduct.

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  6. William Goode was my son,and 45 years (my god)what where they thinking,

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  7. TO GEORGE-William Goode is a wonderful person(if you only knew him personally you would like him,He has no background of any danger-only needed some help and has been thrown in prison instead 3-times. his brother had told the DA some things about him that he thought were true,but were not,and for William well 45 years is too much,and now the family is torn apart.William deserves a new trail and time reduced,cause I believe the DA took this case too far,William has never been married,and these girls he only new for a short time.And he was trying to have a relationship but they were not serious enough,they enjoyed his company but was also using him to do something for them,which he refused and wanted a relationship with them instead. Poor William he just wants love,and why didnt he get anger management when he needed it,If that was someone I dated I would have tried to get him help,none of them did, nor even mention it,Lets just throw him away.And the worst is hes never hurt anyone,he just had a mouth that got him in trouble and he never backed it,so why 45 years,did the jury think he was dangerous,only to himself,Hes Bi-racial looking for love.What ashame our justise system has made against a us citizen,Actions speak louder than words. They only pulled up dirt on him and I guess people just dont care no-more about a humans life,I pray William dont commite suicide and educates himself so he can defend himself. He was very repectfull to others,reguardless of his tats,He always said (The tats keep me alive in society) What a shame our children are scared and uneducated and lost.They need to concentrate on gangs that click our children in and tell them if they tell they will die,This has created a lot of scapgoats, They would rather take the wrap! What about the guys,the girls arent always little angels,They know they can ruin a mans life,T-lady.

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