Attorneys who defend clients charged with Capital Murder must meet a high standard of experience and competency in order to be appointed to represent someone charged with the most serious offense in the Texas Penal Code.
Consequences of Conviction: Dire
If a person is found guilty of Capital Murder they can only be given Life without parole or the Death Penalty. The prosecuting attorney can seek the Death Penalty or try the Defendant with the Death Penalty taken off the table, leaving only Life without parole as a penalty if the Defendant is convicted.
Capital Murder Investigations are Complex
Generally speaking, Capital cases can be very complicated. Many times, there is a “confession” from the Defendant. Co-Defendants posture themselves to testify to enhance the State’s case against the most egregious party in the offense in order to obtain a lesser sentence. Cases usually involve identification of suspects by witnesses, physical evidence left at the scene, reliable or conjectured motives, alibi witnesses, mistaken identity, legitimacy of the State’s evidence evaluation and a number of other factors.
The “Exhausting Defense” Mandate
The American Bar Association guidelines mandate that attorneys representing defendants charged with Capital Murder provide an exhausting defense. A competent Criminal Defense attorney must possess the ability to analyze the State’s case, be able to engage in a professional dialogue with the Prosecutors, and be a savvy trial lawyer.
Why Private Investigators Get Involved
In order for a defense attorney to defend his client properly they rely on a separate investigation conducted on the Defendant’s behalf by trained professional Private Investigators. The Investigators perform numerous tasks during the lengthy process which ensues before the case is disposed. The Investigators must have the ability to gain the Defendant’s trust and elicit truthful information that will assist the Defendant’s defense.
Investigators must conduct background investigations on all of the State’s witnesses along with engaging those witnesses in an interview to evaluate what they told the police investigators regarding their observations.
After the contact with the witness the investigators provide an evaluation of the witnesses credibility for the defense attorney(s) representing the defendant. Investigators also develop alibi witnesses when applicable and canvass crime scene areas to identify the witnesses the police missed, or talked to, but did not document in their reports.
A Defense Attorney cannot adequately represent his client, or provide an “exhausting defense” without this assistance. In the opinion of Gradoni & Associates, a team of Investigators with law enforcement experience and diverse backgrounds would be the logical choice to perform the investigative effort.
Our Newsletter
Houston Capital Murder Investigation Results
Below are random entries from our various newsletters which are related to capital murder investigations.
Closed Murder Investigation Cases
Recent posts
Official Oppression: Acquittal Attorney Aaron J. Suder and Attorney Brett Ligon represented a Houston Police Department officer charged with official oppression. The Houston Police Department officer was charged when a Texas Department of Public Safety trooper complained that he had used excessive force while making a DWI arrest. A Talk with the DWI Suspect The…
DRUG TESTING Attorney Phillip Hilder acquired a case involving the possession of methamphetamine and needed immediate drug testing upon the defendant’s release on bond. Arrangements were made through a local drug testing lab and the defendant was drug tested for the presence of methamphetamine in his blood and urine. The results were obtained within days of…
Attorney Brett Ligon and Attorney Aaron J. Suder represented a Houston Police Department officer charged with assault to do bodily injury by his former girlfriend. Investigators interviewed the defendant’s neighbors, who did not support the complainant’s version of the noise caused by the early morning incident. Information was also developed that raised doubt about the…
Jonathan Paull represented an individual who had gotten involved in an accident while driving his friend’s vehicle. The friend, later becoming the complainant, told his insurance company that the defendant did not have permission to take his vehicle. The defendant was subsequently charged. Investigators interviewed witnesses who verified that the defendant had driven the complainant’s…
Ross Palmie represented an individual who was charged with assaulting a police officer while on probation for the same charge. Investigators canvassed the neighborhood where the incident took place, finding an impartial third party witness that verified the defendant’s story that he did not assault the police officer. The witnesses testified in court on the…
Capital Mistrial Attorney Katherine Scardino and Attorney Jimmy Phillips Jr. were appointed to a high profile capital murder case in the 184th Criminal District Court in Harris County. Scardino’s client and his cousin were charged with Capital Murder in the September 4th shooting deaths of two employees at the Hollywood Video Store. Scardino’s client worked…
Aggravated Robbery: Acquitted Staci Biggar represented a defendant charged with an aggravated robbery that occurred in the apartment complex where he resided with his mother. The apartment manager suggested to police the identity of the suspect. The police then obtained an identification of the suspect from the victim utilizing a photo spread. Our Investigation Creates…
Fraud Surveillance Our firm was hired by a criminal defense law firm to conduct surveillance on a individual claiming serious injuries from an automobile accident. It was rumored that the plaintiff had a previous case and a large settlement. The Investigation Ensues Clay Buckner surveilled the plaintiff in a very rural setting. The plaintiff’s neighbor…
Burglary of a Habitation: No Bill Attorney Stanley Schneider and Attorney Kevin Fine represented a college athlete who along with two friends had visited a University of Houston campus dormitory. During the course of heavy partying, a room was burglarized of a stereo and VCR. The defendant and both of his friends were charged as…
Attorney Robert Fickman and Attorney Stanley Schneider represented an individual charged in Fort Bend County with the murder of an individual who was an innocent bystander to an altercation between the defendant and a third party. Our Investigation Offers Tantalizing Revelations During our criminal investigation, Gradoni & Associates’ private detectives found witnesses who testified that the third…
Endangerment to a Child: No Bill Jonathan Paull represented an individual who was charged with endangerment of a child as a result of an incident that occurred in a vehicle. The defendant was riding in the passenger seat in a vehicle driven by the child’s mother. A fight erupted between the defendant and the driver.…
Attorney Robert Fickman represented a teacher in Galveston County charged with physically assaulting one of his students. Investigators developed information that established the student was less than reliable and had a propensity for being the aggressor in many incidents. The case was subsequently dismissed when this information was presented to the prosecutor. An Effective Houston…
Diane O’Kane represented a defendant charged with possession of crack. The defendant had been originally stopped by police for the violation of not walking on a sidewalk. The defendant’s walking partner, only known as “Hard Hat,” was a witness to the arrest. Investigator Harry Johnson canvassed the area where the arrest took place, finding and…
Gradoni & Associates was hired by a messenger company to investigate company theft. A number of the messenger company’s drivers were picking up used toner cartridges and selling them for their own personal gain rather than turning them back in to their client for rebates. Investigating the Corporate Theft Scheme Our investigation determined that a…
Client References
Over the years we’ve had the privilege of working with the lawyers listed below on capital murder and other criminal justice cases.
Contact us
Please use the information below to reach us, or send us a written message.
GRADONI & ASSOCIATES
13810 Champions Forest Dr #210
Houston, TX 77069
MAP TO OFFICE
Toll Free: 800-803-9186
Local: 281-440-0800 • Fax: 281-440-0208