A recent case out of Palm Springs has police accusing a 69-year-old woman of using scissors to attack her husband in an attempt to cut off his penis, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Perhaps the most memorable story Americans will recall from 1993 was the story of John and Lorena Bobbitt, a young couple from Virginia who were forever made famous when Lorena accused her husband of sexually assaulting her and later cutting off her husband's penis as he slept, drove away, and threw it out the window of her car. He was acquitted of the charges and she was found not guilty by reason of insanity.
In cases like this, or other violent crimes, a person can face assault charges in Los Angeles. These charges shouldn't be taken lightly because they can cause a person to be sent to prison for up to four years and fined $10,000 or more. In some cases, the charge could be upgraded to attempted murder. If the person dies, accidentally even due to blood loss or complications, the defendant could be looking at life in prison. It's a slippery slope.
As an experienced Los Angeles criminal defense lawyer knows, the news media attention brought from such a bizarre set of facts will permeate the case. This can be used to the defendant's advantage, depending on the skills of the lawyer.
Some attorneys believe they shouldn't say anything to the media because it will just bring more attention to the case. Others take the stance that the case will be in the news anyway, so why not try to get their defendant's opinion into the articles and TV broadcasts?
The big risk in big media cases is that every time a viewer or reader takes in facts of the case, they could be set up to be biased against the defendant. Every viewer or reader is a prospective juror. So the more the case is in the news, the more people know about it and the more they may not be able to listen to the facts during trial. That bias can definitely get in the way of the jurors as a whole as they deliberate a person's guilt or innocence.
This also makes jury selection so important. Weeding out jurors who may be anti-defense or who may not be able to put aside what they have learned about the case through media coverage is critical to ensure the defendant's rights.
According to this case, the woman is charged with mayhem, assault with a deadly weapon and felony domestic violence. The woman allegedly caused a non-life-threatening wound in the genital area of the man.
The couple -- who have been together for 32 years, according to police -- are still being investigated. At this point, detectives aren't sure what caused the wife to attack her husband, who is also 62.
Police say they have found scissors, what they described as poultry shears, that they plan on logging as evidence in the case.
If you need to speak with a Los Angeles criminal defense attorney, contact the Law Offices of Stephen G. Rodriguez and Associates at 213-223-2173 for a free consultation.
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Black Friday Pepper Spray Incident Could Lead to Los Angeles Assault or Battery Charges: December 1, 2011
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Additional Resources:
Palm Springs woman accused of attacking husband with scissors, by Larry Gordon, Los Angeles Times
