In 2006, I was a 20 year old regular guy who had never been in trouble. One night I went to a local Shakey’s Pizza Parlor to attend a class party being held for my brother’s high school class. There were probably thirty people at the pizza party and a fight broke out. I got involved in the fight when I went to the defense of my brother.
One of the kids got stabbed. I couldn’t believe it when I learned that this kid identified me as the person who did the stabbing and I was arrested.
I was lucky that a friend of mine referred me to Ted Thompson, who my family hired to represent me. Ted was so thorough in his preparation for the trial in my case.
Ted went to my brother’s high school and was unrelenting in his efforts to find a certain teacher who had been a chaperon at the party. It took his going to the high school three or four times before he was able to actually track down this teacher who was able to exonerate me as the person who did the stabbing. Ted subpoenaed the teacher, who testified at my trial and told the jury that I was not the assailant.
Ted was also non-stop in his cross-examination of the kid who said that I had stabbed him. It was clear that the kid was unreliable in his testimony when he said that I had done the stabbing. Ted successfully brought out to the jury that this kid had an on-going feud with my brother, which he argued explained why he had picked me out as the person who attacked him. The jury came back not guilty.
Now, I’m married, settled down, and raising a family. I was looking at life in prison. (I was charged with attempted murder.) I just shudder to think where I might be right now if Ted had not been successful in defending me. He’s a fighter and he really fought for me.
I owe him a lot. I owe him my freedom.
Carlos J., Los Angeles
