Trial result today

The jury in my trial returned a verdict of guilty this afternoon, on both counts. The essentials:

167th JUDICIAL DISTRICT/ JUDGE LYNCH

Defendant: Tony Brewer
Offense: Aggravated assault with a deadly weapon (two counts)
Prosecutors: Mark Pryor and Kelsey McKay
Defense attorney: Bill Browning

I wanted to say congrats to my co-counsel, Kelsey, for her fine mix of diligence (super prepared, as ever) and flair. Also to defense counsel Bill Browning, who was professional and did a great job, especially considering the facts of the case. (The jury was also very complimentary of Bill's work.)

And finally, our thanks to the jury. Talking to them afterwards was fascinating, as it always is. I was very impressed with the close attention they'd paid to the evidence, to making sure they held us to the very high standard of proof. You might be surprised to hear me say this, but as a prosecutor it's actually quite reassuring. I was grateful, too, for the pointers on how we could make things better in future cases and I'm glad it was a positive experience for them all.

So, a tiring week and a just little more to go: tomorrow morning we have the punishment phase, the hearing starts at 9 A.M. and will be over well before lunch.