who was brenton butlers lawyer

by Kavon Hudson 10 min read

Butler was represented by Patrick McGuinness and Ann Finnell, two attorneys from the public defenders office. They supplied a photograph of Butler with bruises on his face, which they claimed was the result of the interrogation.

Full Answer

What is the Brenton Butler case?

The Brenton Butler case (officially State of Florida v. Brenton Leonard Butler) was a murder case in Jacksonville, Florida.

Who is Brenton Lenard Butler?

Brenton Lenard Butler was charged with murder and armed robbery in the death of MaryAnn Stephens, of Toccoa, GA. At age 15 Brenton Butler, Could have faced life in prison without Parole if he was convicted of first -degree murder.

Why is Brenton Butler's name in'the Hate U Give'?

Netflix provided Bustle the following statement from showrunner Veena Sud: " [The character's] name was inspired by the real Brenton Butler because his story was so intensely heart wrenching and illuminated the travesties of the justice system criminalizing innocent young Black men."

Why was Brenton Butler stopped that morning?

The only reason Brenton Butler was even stopped that morning was because he happened to be a black male walking in the neighborhood. Now think about that.

Who was the state prosecutor in the Brenton Butler case?

Attorney Harry ShorsteinPolice brought Butler in for questioning, and he confessed to the murder, both orally and in writing, in front of at least two detectives. State Attorney Harry Shorstein decided to prosecute the case.

Is Brenton Butler a true story?

But did you know there's a real-life Brenton Butler with his own story of police corruption and racial bias to tell? Seven Seconds isn't about his story directly – rather, it's a fictional account that represents the faces of the many black men splashed across the American news each week.

Why was Brenton Butler stopped?

Ann Finnell, who has worked as an attorney in Jacksonville for 23 years, told the court: "Officer Martin admitted that the only reason Brenton Butler was stopped that morning was because he happened to be a black male walking in that neighbourhood." The film is simple and understated, but it has all the suspense of ...

Does Jablonski go to jail?

Jablonski Jablonski was sentenced to 364 days of jail time (how disrespectful to not even round it up to a year). Mike DiAngelo aided in killing Nadine, the 15-year-old female witness, who could have put him and the other two dirty cops behind bars. Felix was the one who actually killed the girl.

Why did Seven Seconds get Cancelled?

That goes against the original intentions for the series which may underline another reason as to why the show has been canceled. More often than not, shows are canceled on Netflix because of low viewership and because Netflix doesn't release stats, it's hard to say if Seven Seconds was a victim of this reason.

Is Netflix 7 seconds based on a true story?

The series is, created, executive produced, and showrun by Veena Sud, follows the people involved in investigating the death of a Black teenager and his family as they reel after the loss....Seven Seconds (TV series)Seven SecondsCreated byVeena SudBased onThe Major by Yuri Bykov16 more rows

Who is Patrick McGuinness in Murder on a Sunday Morning?

Patrick McGuinness, Jacksonville defense lawyer known from Oscar-winning film, dies at 70. Patrick McGuinness, a stellar Jacksonville defense attorney whose work was seen nationwide in the Oscar-winning documentary Murder on a Sunday Morning, died Monday at the age of 70.

How long did it take to find Brenton Butler guilty?

No physical evidence. The trial lasted 10 days, but it only took the jury 45 minutes to find Brenton Butler not guilty. Lack of evidence, coupled with conflicting and implausible testimonies given by the detectives in the courtroom, lead to Butler’s freedom. Following the acquittal, the individual actually involved in the murder was arrested ...

What led to the freedom of Butler?

Lack of evidence, coupled with conflicting and implausible testimonies given by the detectives in the courtroom, lead to Butler’s freedom. Following the acquittal, the individual actually involved in the murder was arrested with the assistance of Butler’s trial attorneys.

Who was the boy accused of murder?

If you didn’t follow the trial itself, you most likely saw the Oscar-winning documentary, “Murder on a Sunday Morning,” about the trial of Brenton Butler , a 15-year-old boy who was accused of the murder of a woman in Jacksonville, Florida on May 7, 2000.

Did the police call Butler's parents?

Butler said police beat a confession out of him and didn't let him call his parents until he signed it 12 hours after his arrest. The detectives asked him many questions but never called his family or neighbors to verify where Butler was, what he was doing, or who he was with during the day of the murder.

Who was the state attorney for the case of Butler?

State Attorney Harry Shorstein and Sheriff Nat Glover did admit after the fact that Butler had been wrongfully arrested and charged. Butler's family sued the city of Jacksonville over the ordeal, alleging racial profiling and inadequate training, and the parties settled on a $775,000 payout.

Why was Bustle inspired by Brenton Butler?

Netflix provided Bustle the following statement from showrunner Veena Sud: " [The character's] name was inspired by the real Brenton Butler because his story was so intensely heart wrenching and illuminated the travesties of the justice system criminalizing innocent young Black men.".

Is the real Butler in the documentary?

The real Butler's story became fairly well known, having become nationally recognized when it became the subject of the Oscar-winning documentary Murder On A Sunday Morning. Seven Seconds is connecting itself to another story about injustice with a young black man at its center, and the association could be what introduces audiences in 2018 to ...

Did Butler confess to the murder?

Butler eventually confessed to the crime, even though the murder weapon was never found and other key physical evidence was missing. The prosecutor's case was based on testimony by employees of the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office as well as what was purported to be a written confession by Butler, the outlet stated in another article.

Who stopped Brenton Butler?

Officer T. L. Martin of the Jacksonville sheriff’s office said in court that he stopped Brenton Butler and told him that a murder had taken place and he asked will Brenton be willing to talk to detectives. Brenton Butler agreed to talk to detectives. Brenton was given a gunshot residue test.

Why was Brenton Butler's arrest erroneous?

The eyewitness identification of Brenton Butler was erroneous because the psychological trauma that James Stephen went through. Mistakes were made in the investigation of the crime. Brenton Butler arrest was a case of mistaken identity. Mr. Stephens stated he was sure that Brenton Butler was the guy who shot his wife.

How long was Brenton Butler in jail?

Although Butler served six months in jail waiting upon trail, Brenton still maintained his innocence. I concluded that police officers and the prosecutorial misconduct play a major role in which investigations leading to wrongful convictions and unsafe streets. Most criminal cases brought to trail are adequate.

How old was Brenton Butler when he was sentenced to death?

At age 15 Brenton Butler, Could have faced life in prison without Parole if he was convicted of first -degree murder. In Florida nobody the age of sixteen or younger can face the death penalty.

Why was Brenton Butler's confession suppressed?

Brenton Butler‘s confession should have been suppressed because of the interrogation which forced him to admit to a murder that he has no connections with. Both of the detectives that were assigned to the case were accused of interrogation of Butler.

Was Brenton Butler wearing a plain shirt?

They proved that Mr. Stephens was lying when he said that Brenton Butler was wearing a plain shirt when he was wearing a dark blue shirt with a huge “Nautica” symbol in the middle of it.

Did Brenton Butler have skinny legs?

The case against Brenton Butler proceeded to trail, but he was acquitted. After Brenton was acquitted, Mr. Stephens then described the suspect to have skinny legs.

How old is Brenton Butler?

Brenton Butler is now 28 years old and has written a book about his experience called “They Said It Was Murder”. The book includes new details about the beatings, his time in jail and other injustices in the investigation. Also it discusses the impact the case had on his family and the near-death of his mother due to the stress of his arrest.

Why did Brenton Butler go to jail?

They took him to the crime scene under false pretenses, didn’t inform his parents of his whereabouts or that he had been arrested (in the beginning) and lead his parents to believe that they had only come to their home because they were asking the teenagers in the neighbourhood about reoccurring break ins . Also, during Brenton’s questioning, he was threatened and forced into signing a confession by Detective Glover and the other two officers and Brenton was taken into a forest and beaten by said detective. These were all obviously injustices in the case. Why? Because officers and detectives are supposed to abide by certain laws and the rights of the accused and in this case they did not and they were negligent. Another injustice was the fact that anyone accused of committing a crime is innocent until proven guilty. In Brenton’s case, as soon as he was spotted walking on the sidewalk, he was instantly guilty.

How did Detective Glover get Brenton to confess?

Detective Glover got Brenton to confess to the murder. He did this by physically threatening the life of Brenton and saying that for every ten seconds that passed in which Butler didn’t sign the confession, he would hurt him. He represented that by showing Brenton his gun. Detective Glover then brought Brenton out into the woods where the gun had allegedly been hidden and wanted Brenton to show him where it was, which Brenton did not know. Because of this, although there was no sufficient evidence to prove such actions, Detective Glover punched Butler in the stomach twice and once in his left eye. If more investigating would have been done, they would have accounted the fact that Brenton was 5 inches shorter and many years younger than the man that Mr. Stephens reported. Brenton also had a very noticeable logo on the front of the shirt he was wearing, when Mr. Stephens spoke of what the murderer was wearing he said the shirt had been plain.

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Interrogation Assignment This documentary showcases a number of police interrogations that are problematic. The one that I believe is the most egregious is the interrogation of twelve year old Thomas Cogdell in the murder of his little sister, Kaylee.

Fallacies In Sidney Lumet's 12 Angry Men

So do you. The children who come out of slum backgrounds are potential menaces to society.’ Juror 4 gives this very controversial statement. It involves presumption of the juror that might be from his personal experience or social influence. He has assumed that people born in slums are criminals but actually there are people who are not criminals.

The Theme Of Justice In William Faulkner's Barn Burning

The justice looks like the major issue of the plot, as Abner’s actions are explained by himself and his family as a response to an insult. But it is clear the man’s logic is twisted; Abner Snopes provoked all incidents by himself to create a reason to excuse his desire for fires.

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Introduction Many important court cases depend on memory-based evidence. When there is not enough physical evidence to convict a suspect, law enforcement relies on testimonies and confessions to put criminals behind bars, yet, not all testimonies are reliable.

Jerry's Death Penalty Case Study

"It was a case that was not the strongest on the evidence, it was a circumstantial case (…) so we were pleased that we got the conviction, but not so happy with the punishment the jury assessed." Everyone was horrified, the sentence was considered atrociously shameful.

Anxiety Research Paper Outline

I. A small amount of anxiety can be a good thing. A lot of anxiety is when it becomes a problem. “The dividing line is when the fear becomes so great that it causes a lot of distress and/or it makes the person not able to do certain things” says Dr. Bridget Walker. Having a constant or persistent feeling of fear and distress, is known as anxiety.

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Many detective story writers treats the assistant characters as “implied readers”. The detective writers wish their readers to be as adorably stupid as the assistants. But the readers are unwilling to meet those expectations.

What did the Butler lawsuit say?

The lawsuit said racial profiling and inadequate training and supervision led to the arrest and false imprisonment of Butler. It was filed after he was acquitted by a jury that was critical of the police investigation and prosecution.

What did the jury find in the Butler case?

A grand jury convened to look into the Butler case found no criminal wrongdoing, but suggested that changes be made in police interrogation procedures -- especially for juveniles.

How much did the Butler family get paid?

According to the family's attorney, Tom Fallis, the settlement calls for the city to pay Butler $775,000. The settlement followed three weeks of negotiations between the parties over the suit, which was filed in October.

Who was the state attorney for Mary Ann Stephens?

State Attorney Harry Shorstein and Sheriff Nat Glover later admitted that the youth had been wrongly arrested and prosecuted for the killing. Two adults were later arrested in Mary Ann Stephens' murder.