Case Studies

Outstanding Trial Lawyer - Felony Defense & Juvenile Crimes Defense Case Study

People of the State of California v. Willie Tom Flores, represented by Tim Richardson, Juvenile Crimes Defense Attorney, San Diego, California.

The Charges:
Mr. Tom Flores, Accused of armed robbery, residential burglary and assault with a deadly weapon - crimes that are not easily forgiven or overlooked through the eyes of a jury in trial court.

The Accused:
My client, Mr. Flores, was 18 years old when he was arrested on the charges of armed robbery, residential burglary, and assault with a deadly weapon.

His brother, only 17 at the time, was also arrested for the same offenses and was being represented for the juveniles crimes by a different attorney from another law firm in San Diego.

The Story:
On the day of the arrest, Mr. Flores was punched in the face by a guy whose nick name was “P dog.” Flores went home and told his brother what happened. The two of them, now enraged, set off to seek revenge on “P dog.”

They went to an apartment where they believed he was staying and began knocking on doors. As each resident opened the door, the two boys asked, rather aggressively, if “P dog” was home. And each time they were told that “P dog” didn’t live at that unit.

The Incident:
Unfortunately they went to the apartment of a man who was a heavy user of marijuana and dilaudids—a synthetic form of morphine, and 5 times more powerful. With his black belt wrapped around his fist, raised and ready to strike, Mr. Flores demanded to know where “P dog” was.

The resident told the boys that he didn’t know of a “P dog,” and closed the door. Mr. Flores and his brother then continued looking for “P dog” at other units.

The Evidence Against my Client:
However, the resident picked up the phone and called 911. He told the dispatcher that there were two guys who assaulted, threatened, and robbed him, and at gun point! While on the phone with 911 he described the handgun in vivid detail.

The entire conversation was preserved on tape. The tape portrayed a severely frightened man who had just been victimized by two violent thugs.

Imagine being a trial attorney and hearing evidence like that being played in front of a jury! That tape proved to be powerful evidence for the prosecution in court.

The Juvenile Brother Gets Convicted:
Because the 17 year old brother was a juvenile, he was tried separately in juvenile court, and was represented by another defense attorney from San Diego, California. He was convicted and sentenced to serious time in juvenile hall because the evidence was so strong and compelling for the jury.

Formulating a Professional Criminal Defense:
My investigator found evidence that the man was a drug abuser. As a prominent defense attorney I knew that this was my strongest argument. I believed my client was innocent, the facts and all other witness testimony stated a clear case for my defense. But being an experienced trial attorney I knew that I needed to take all steps necessary to free my client.

At the trial I hired a prominent medical doctor to testify in front of the jury that the combined use of marijuana and dilaudids would cause a person to hallucinate. Thus, with this “hallucination defense,” I was able to convince the jury that my client was not guilty of the crimes charged and should be set free.

Next was to Represent the Convicted Juvenile Brother:
Afterwards, I filed a petition in juvenile court on behalf of the brother for a new trial based on the same defense. The court granted that motion and ordered him released from custody. The district attorney’s office chose not to retry him.