As an attorney in Houston, I represent a lot of clients that have been charged with various drug crimes and other criminal activities.  It is important for each of my clients that we gather evidence in order to provide the jury with enough reasonable doubt that they are unwilling to deliver a conviction.  This is especially true since the prosecutor will be presenting their own evidence indicating guilt.  Unfortunately, that evidence is not always accurate, as was evident with a recent crime lab scandal.

The Wall Street Journal reported on a case in Massachusetts, where a chemist at the local crime lab, Ms. Dookhan, admitted to not following protocol.  She handled over forty thousand pieces of evidence that were used in various cases.  Over the course of several years, she admitted to looking at some drug evidence and instead of running chemical tests, making a determination of the substance type by simply looking at it.  She issued official lab results for these pieces of evidence, despite them not actually being tested.  In turn, the prosecutors used these reports in court in order to obtain convictions.

When it came to light that she did not actually test the substances to see if they were drugs, many convicts filed a request to have another trial.  As a result, 375 people have already been released from prison with thousands more potentially impacted by her activities.  As an attorney in Houston, this case is a stark reminder that as someone charged with a crime, you cannot count on everything being done right on the other side.  Instead, you need an experienced attorney to protect your rights and ensure that you receive a day in court that is fair and not biased.

When the prosecutor is presenting evidence in your case, we will want to ensure that the chain of evidence was not compromised.  From the time that the police officer confiscated it, to how testing was performed, it is important to know that everything was done correctly along the way.  Sitting down with you and going over every aspect of your case will help us to know if something seems off or out of place.  We need to know everything that happened leading up to the incident, during it, and afterwards.  This way if a piece of evidence emerges that you feel is inaccurate, we can look for a counter to it.  Remember that we don’t have to prove total innocence but rather, create reasonable doubt in the mind of a jury.

As an attorney in Houston, we will go to work gathering our own evidence and reports as necessary. It isn’t enough to put you on the stand, attesting to your innocence.  We must prove it in court and evidence is the way to do so, as was demonstrated by these Massachusetts cases.  Given the amount of people already released, it is clear that the prosecutor’s cases hinged on these reports being factual evidence.  In your case, we may also want to work with experts to prove various aspects of your that point to your innocence.