Occasionally, not often, a high profile wealthy lawyer comes to the aid of a down and out defendant to equal the justice system for all; even if it is one case. When that happens it encourages me just a tad that by giving these attorneys restores my faith in our legal system. Not totally but enough to feel good and hopeful.
That is what criminal high profile lawyer Steve Sadow from Atlanta Georgia has done in the last two weeks. He heard of the plight of Raquel Nelson, and although there are rich clients waiting and needing his specialty to keep them out of jail, he announced he was taking the case of convicted mother Raquel Nelson, not just at a reduced rate, but PRO BONO, for free.
When the Cobb County Transit bus finally stopped directly across from Somerpoint Apartments, night had fallen. She and the children crossed two lanes and waited with other passengers on the raised median for a break in traffic. The nearest crosswalks were three-tenths of a mile in either direction, and Nelson wanted to get her children inside as soon as possible.
Three-tenths of a mile walk with three young children to the nearest crosswalk, and three-tenths of a mile walk back to the apartment. Over half a mile walk, wait for a light to get her young children home. Every day the bus stops right across the street from the Somerpoint Apartments, and every day people cross this highway at their peril to get home, tired, and wanting to get home quickly. Who among us can say, we too would do the same thing, who among us can say for sure that we would spend the extra 15 – 30 minute, over a half mile walk to cross at the light?
I used to do the park and ride thing in Seattle, and you are tired when you get back at night, I can say I would probably follow the others as they stopped, looked and then dart to save that time and to save that extra walk.
Things are great unless you are the one that is hit by a drunk hit and run driver. Then there is the thing here in the U. S. of “the letter of the law” and “the spirit of the law”. That gives a District Attorney a wide latitude in what they choose to prosecute and what they choose not to prosecute. We will never know why they decided to charge Raquel Nelson, the mother of the dead child with secondary vehicular homicide, crossing roadway elsewhere than at crosswalk and reckless conduct in the April 10, 2010 incident. Where is the compassion for a mother who will grieve the rest of her life over the tragic death of her four year old son AJ.
Sadow has made short work since taking the Nelson case last week. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that:
Attorney Steve Sadow has filed pleas in Cobb County State Court asking Judge Katherine Tanksley to declare his client not guilty before a scheduled new jury trial Oct. 25.
The judge gave Raquel Lee Nelson of Marietta the option of a new trial after sentencing her July 26 to 40 hours of community service and 12 months’ probation in the death of her child A.J.
A not-guilty verdict would clear her record.
Here are the filings Sadow filed with the Court on August 8, 2011
Let’s hope with the help of the Gentleman from Georgia, Nelson will get the compassion that any parent who loses a child to a drunk hit and run driver deserves.
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“The more information that came out, the more outrageous the charges against Nelson became. From an Atlanta Journal-Constitution story that came out the month after the incident:
On April 10, she and her three children — Tyler, 9, A.J., 4, and Lauryn, 3 — went shopping because the next day was Nelson’s birthday. They had pizza, went to Wal-Mart and missed a bus, putting them an hour late getting home. Nelson, a student at Kennesaw State University, said she never expected to be out after dark, especially with the children.
When the Cobb County Transit bus finally stopped directly across from Somerpoint Apartments, night had fallen. She and the children crossed two lanes and waited with other passengers on the raised median for a break in traffic. The nearest crosswalks were three-tenths of a mile in either direction, and Nelson wanted to get her children inside as soon as possible. A.J. carried a plastic bag holding a goldfish they’d purchased.
“One girl ran across the street,” Nelson said. “For some odd reason, I guess he saw the girl and decided to run out behind her. I said, ‘Stop, A.J.,’ and he was in the middle of the street so I said keep going. That’s when we all got hit.”
“That’s when we all got hit.”
What a tragic ACCIDENT, AJ killed by a drunk hit and run driver and the mother and baby injured and in the hospital. This was the third DUI for Jerry Lyn Guy, who had been convicted of hit-and-run twice before, drove away from the scene, but was later arrested.
He was charged with ONLY felony hit-and-run and has since served a six-month prison term and must complete four-and-a-half years of probation.
WHAT???? his second hit and run and his third DUI; how did he get this “sweetheart” deal? But it gets worse.
The public has been unsympathetic to both women, especially in the blogosphere.
“Crosswalk or not, it is her responsibility to cross only when traffic is far enough away that she and her children can cross safely,” said an anonymous poster on a WXIA television blog after the April accident.
Raquel Nelson, the mother of AJ was charged and CONVICTED by an ALL white jury of secondary vehicular homicide, crossing roadway elsewhere than at crosswalk and reckless conduct in the April 10, 2010 incident.
In an unusual move Judge Katherine Tanksley gave Ms. Nelson only 12 months probation instead of the three years in jail Ms. Nelson could have received. YES the mother could have received more than the drunk driver who killed her son. Judge Tanksley went further though and offered the mother a new trial.
Now enters Steve Sadow, one of the best criminal attorneys around with an email statement issued last Friday, August 5, 2011:
“Ms. Nelson has decided to proceed with a retrial,” her new attorney, Steve Sadow, told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Wednesday evening, following an email announcing his retainer. “I have taken the case pro bono because her prosecution is morally wrong and unjustified.”
Sadow said he hoped, based upon the national media attention Nelson’s case has drawn and the outpouring of support she’s received, that Morgan, [Cobb County solicitor Barry Morgan], chose not to prosecute a second time.
“There has been a public outcry against this prosecution,” Nelson’s new attorney said. “I sincerely hope that … Morgan does the right thing and dismisses the case before a retrial is necessary.”
In the first trial; The last thing the jury heard from Raquel Nelson’s defense lawyer, before they convicted her, was the tape of her frantic 911 call after her son, A.J., was hit by a car. “1-2-3-4-5-6, doing chest compressions on her son, screaming,” recalls attorney David Savoy. “There was not a dry eye in that court room.”
The jury then decided to convict her of vehicular homicide, jaywalking, and reckless conduct.
“I’ve never understood the power of the blogosphere,” Savoy said, “and now, I’m humbled.”
The next court date is in October.
That brings us to the next question in all of this, what those of us who run blogs that cover Celebrity, but more important HIGH PROFILE TRIALS, what is our role in all of this?
I have heard that a blog I have a lot of respect for is closing because of the backlash of the Anthony trial. I can understand that since I have been attacked and even sent viruses through twitter and emails because we DARED to cover the trial in a none lynch mob mentality. So as we get ready for the Michael Jackson trials I have done some soul searching of do we want to stay open and get the personal attacks and the threats including viruses, or is it easier to walk away. TRUST me the decision to walk away and pursue things I enjoy is a no brainer. But being stubborn, Ken and I have decided to began to gather papers, update the multiple Michael Jackson trials, and get ready for another emotion packed trial. So we will be here, will you?
Join other posters to discuss all of the cases we cover. Diamond Girl runs the community part of the site and remember discuss the evidence don’t attack other posters. If you read a post that upsets you just scroll past that comment http://community.rosespeaks.com/ I seldom step on the forums that belongs to the members and is in great hands with Diamond Girl and she will be having a robust discussion there that all of you are invited to join
Visit our Download Section for all documents on the Casey Anthony case we have loaded as well as any of the other cases we are following.
Follow Us On Face Book and on Twitter and see who Rose Speaks is following.
The expressions in this blog article are based on the opinions of Rose Turner or our featured authors, please remember we are not lawyers and those opinions expressed here are each of our individual opinions and should not be taken as legal advice and/or legal opinions. The comments following this blog article are the opinions and sole property of the blog site members and do not necessarily reflect those of the site owners. If comments to this or any other articles are not related to the article or does not meet the terms of use for Rose Speaks, they will be removed by the moderators.
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