Round Rock Attorney R. Scott Magee Helps Reach Mistrial for Capital Murder Case

ROUND ROCK, Texas - May 20, 2014 - PRLog -- Round Rock Criminal Defense Attorney R. Scott Magee was one of the criminal defense lawyers who recently reached a mistrial for defendant Crispin Harmel in his capital murder case. Attorney Magee played an instrumental role in securing the positive case result for the client, as he questioned the main detective on the problematic evidence that led to the mistrial. According to a American-Statesman article on the case, a mistrial was ordered by the state district judge after it was determined that the defense attorneys had not been given fair access to new evidence in the case—particularly a video that had been time-stamped after prosecutors found a new time-stamping software over the weekend.

The American-Statesman article that covered the mistrial was published on May 7, 2014 and was titled “Judge declares mistrial in Williamson County capital murder case.” According to the news story, prosecutors did not provide the defense team with the newly time-stamped video before it was presented in court on May 6. The video served as a key component of Mr. Harmel’s defense. The video, which was captured by a store’s surveillance cameras, depicted the vehicle of the victim coming back to a parking lot on Sept. 7, 2009, in the early morning hours. The victim’s body had been discovered in her car in this parking lot, which was in Cedar Park, Texas.

The defense lawyers had used the video to determine that roughly an hour had passed between the time Mr. Harmel left the victim and the time that vehicle drove into the parking lot, according to the American-Statesman. With the new timestamps on the video, the prosecutors stated that the only a few minutes had passed between these two events. After prosecutors used the time-stamped video in court, the defense team requested a mistrial on May 7, which was granted that day. Ultimately, the court had decided that Mr. Harmel would not be able to benefit from a fair trial due to the prosecutors’ failure to properly disclose the updated video evidence. A new trial has been rescheduled for Oct. 1, 2014.

Attorney Magee is pleased that he was able to help protect his client’s constitutional right to a fair trial. The lawyer has more than 15 years of experience working as a private practice attorney. The attorney, who has worked for several Dallas, Texas law firms throughout his career, has extensive trial experience in criminal defense and in other legal practice areas. He is licensed to practice law in both state and federal courts in Texas.

R. Scott Magee, Attorney at Law provides skillful defense for individuals who are charged with all types of crimes. Attorney Magee represents defendants throughout Round Rock and Williamson County, Texas. Free case evaluations are available to those who would like to learn about their options for proceeding with their defense. More information about R. Scott Magee, Attorney at Law can be found at www.scottmageelaw.com.