Andell Brown and Jesse Weber Talk James Colley Trial on Law & Crime Network 07/16/18 | Summary and Q&A

TL;DR

James Colley is on trial for killing his ex-wife and her friend; the defense has suspended their Ambien defense and is focusing on mitigating factors to avoid a death penalty.

Key Insights

• ❓ The defense suspending their Ambien defense indicates they may believe their client will be convicted.
• 🧑‍🏭 The focus of the defense has shifted to mitigating factors during the penalty phase to avoid the death penalty.
• 😑 Text messages from the defendant indicate his anger and threats towards his ex-wife, supporting the prosecution's theory of premeditated murder.
• 🌠 The surviving witness's testimony is compelling and helps establish the defendant's intent and actions during the shooting.
• ❓ The defense may argue that the defendant's actions were influenced by prescription medication, attempting to diminish his intent to commit murder.
• 🈂️ The arrest of the defendant in another state shows that suspects can be arrested for unrelated charges and then brought back to face charges in a different jurisdiction.

Transcript

welcome back everybody so this is Special Agent Brent Harrison talking about cell phones and we'll delve into that testimony in a little bit but I want to talk about the latest development in court with my very special guest criminal defense attorney and L Brown and L great to have you back here on the program so what did we learn today we learned ... Read More

Questions & Answers

Q: Why did the defense suspend their Ambien defense?

It is likely that the defense realized their Ambien defense was not strong enough after assessing the strength of the prosecution's case.

Q: What is the defense's new strategy?

The defense is now focusing on mitigating factors to argue for a lesser charge during the penalty phase, rather than disputing the defendant's guilt.

Q: What impact did the surviving witness's testimony have on the case?

The surviving witness's testimony was powerful and painted a vivid picture of the defendant's actions, supporting the prosecution's theory of premeditated murder.

Q: How is the defense trying to undermine the prosecution's case?

The defense may argue that the defendant's actions were influenced by prescription medication and that he did not intend to commit murder.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• The defense has decided to suspend their Ambien defense strategy, potentially indicating that they know their client will be convicted.

• The defense is now focusing on arguing mitigating factors during the penalty phase to avoid the death penalty.

• Prosecution presented text messages indicating the defendant's anger and threats towards his ex-wife, supporting their theory of premeditated murder.