Month: August 2014
Appellate Court Rules Confession Was Involuntary
A confession to the charged crime can be compelling evidence for the prosecution in a criminal case. In the United States, the government cannot force someone to confess to a crime, or even to give statements which may be incriminating. Statements a person makes voluntarily, however, can generally be used by the government in a
Tennessee man, 20, may be facing vehicular homicide charges
A 20-year-old man is currently facing charges of violating house arrest as well as a reckless endangerment charge in connection with a fatal accident. The Tennessee assistant district attorney has stated, however, that the charges will most likely be revised to vehicular homicide. A hearing was recently held to determine the merits of the criminal case.
Tennessee man charged in accident faces punishments if convicted
A 35-year-old driver has been arrested and is facing several charges after his vehicle allegedly struck a motorcyclist and he fled the accident scene. Tennessee officials have filed vehicular assault charges and additional accusations related to this incident. If he were to be convicted on these charges, he would likely face harsh punishments and other consequences. The
Vehicular Assault Non-Eligible for Judicial Diversion
Judicial diversion in Tennessee law is a means of allowing a qualified defendant who is convicted of or pleads guilty to an offense to avoid having a recorded conviction for the offense if certain conditions are met. To qualify, a defendant must not already have any serious prior convictions and must not have received a
Tennessee man pleads guilty to vehicular homicide and DUI
A soldier who was walking home late one night was hit and left for dead by a fellow soldier. The man who was later located and charged with vehicular homicide just recently entered a guilty plea. The decision was made after the Tennessee prosecutor told the family that the state could not pursue the case. The accident
A Tennessee drunk driving charge could get costly
When a person has been charged with a DUI or similar offense, there could be many consequences, especially if the state were to gain a conviction. However, one of the harsher penalties associated with a drunk driving charge is the monetary cost. Furthermore, Tennessee laws have increasingly hefty costs with subsequent charges. After a study found that
Warrantless Searches of Parolees Are Reasonable
In criminal cases in the United States, warrantless searches generally require some established exception to the warrant requirement in order to be considered reasonable. Consent is one exception. In Tennessee, a person granted parole is required to consent to being subject to warrantless searches as one of the conditions of being on parole. Both the
Man, 20, charged with drunk driving into Tennessee home
A 20-year-old Tennessee man has recently been arrested after purportedly driving his vehicle into a family’s home. The man has been charged with drunk driving and authorities have stated that he will be facing additional charges in connection with this incident. He has since been released from custody after posting bail. The man allegedly lost control of
DNA Evidence Admissible Under Independent Source Doctrine
The ‘independent source’ doctrine may come into play when evaluating the admissibility of evidence in a criminal trial. The doctrine, similar to the doctrine of inevitable discovery, allows for the admissibility of evidence which may have been obtained by unlawful means when the same evidence was also obtained by lawful means independent of any illegality.