Newport News, Virginia criminal law lawyer represented Defendant charged with making more than 60 threats to murder, rape, torture and otherwise harm state and federal elected officials, including numerous members of Congress and a former President of the United States.

Steve Cochran, 43, repeatedly threatened to murder, kidnap, torture, and/or rape elected officials and their loved ones.... More...    $0 (10-13-2022 - VA)

Stafford, VA - grand larceny, statutory burglary
In April 2018, Paula Johnson was living on Mountain View Road in Stafford County
with her mother, Jewel Kelly. Their home and garage were not visible from the road and could
only be seen by walking up the driveway.
Johnson owned a Harley-Davidson Road King motorcycle, which she stored in the
garage. Her brother, Kevin Johnson, ... More...    $0 (09-21-2020 - VA)

Abingdon, VA - Tazewell Woman Sentenced On Federal Firearms Charges - Glenna Elswick Admitted to Purchasing Firearms for her Son; Lying about Purchases

A Tazewell woman, who illegally purchased and provided firearms to her son was sentenced.

Glenna Elswick, 50, was sentenced to six months in prison. Previously, Elswick pleaded guilty to one count of making a false statement in c... More...    $0 (10-30-2017 - VA)

Martinsville, VA - Jury Convicts Man of First-Degree Murder

The Commonwealth of Virginia charged James Moore with first-degree murder and use of a firearm to commit murder for killing Noel Navarro-Pena, age 33, and Alfonso Navarro-Pena, age 40, in June of 2014. Noel was found dead lying near a pickup in a parking lot near the main gate to the Smith River Sports Complex. Alfonso was found ... More...    $0 (12-08-2016 - VA)

Norfolk, VA - Jury Rejects Self-Defense and Convicts Man of Murder

The Commonwealth of Virginia charged Ulysses Jay James, age 52, with first-degree murder for stabbing 45-year-old Lean "Elaine" Smith to death.

Defendant claimed self-defense.

Ms. Smith was a schizophrenic cocaine addict who had previously stabbed James.


Virginia criminal code section 18.2.3... More...    $0 (08-21-2016 - VA)

We consider the evidence on appeal “in the light most favorable to the Commonwealth, as
we must since it was the prevailing party” in the trial court. So viewed, the evidence at trial was that the Check Country Store in Floyd County is owned by Wayne Lamay. On May 28, 2014, appellant was involved in
an incident at the store. As a result of that incident, Mr. Lamay told appellant, in “... More...    $0 (03-28-2016 - VA)

We consider the evidence on appeal “in the light most favorable to the Commonwealth, as
we must since it was the prevailing party” in the trial court. So viewed, the evidence at trial was that on September 8, 2013, Investigator Travis Hambrick, Lieutenant Wayne Davis, and a Deputy Stone of the Henry
County Sheriff’s Office went to appellant’s home on Rock Hill Community Road to serve an... More...    $0 (03-28-2016 - VA)

Richmond, VA - The Commonwealth of Virginia charged Logan Demetrius Miles, age 20, with second-degree murder for killing Lorenzo Dominique Harris, age 30, in August of 2014.

The Commonwealth claimed that Miles went with Harris to his apartment and shot him a number of times.

Much of the Commonwealth's case was based on testimony of jailhouse informants and his legal guardian.... More...    $0 (09-24-2015 - VA)

In January 2014, Frazier was approached by police in a housing project in Richmond, Virginia. He began to run, but he slipped and fell. As Frazier lay on the ground, officers observed a black semi-automatic Ruger 9mm handgun in his hand. Frazier was arrested. A search of his person revealed a clear, plastic sandwich bag that contained seven individually wrapped plastic bag corners, which Frazi... More...    $0 (08-30-2015 - VA)

The two female victims in this case were in a hotel room in Arlington County when an unknown man forced his way into their room, tied them up, and robbed them of cash and other personal property. In reviewing hotel surveillance video from the night of the robbery as part of his investigation, Detective Don Fortunato of the Arlington County Police Department observed a man in the video who appeare... More...    $0 (08-28-2015 - VA)

In this appeal, we consider whether Sayed Gad Omargharib’s conviction under Virginia’s grand larceny statute, Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-95, constitutes an “aggravated felonyâ€� under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) § 101, 8 U.S.C. § 1101(a)(43). The Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) answered this question in the affirmative using the so-called modified categorical approach, as clari... More...    $0 (12-23-2014 - VA)

Jerrell R. Johnson, administrator of the Estate of Kirill Denyakin, deceased, sued Stephen Rankin on a civil rights violation theory under 42 U.S.C. 1983 claiming that Office Rankin used excessive force when he shot the 26-year-old Denyakin eleven times killing him on April 23, 2011. Rankin was dispatched on a suspected burglary in progress report.

Rankin claimed that failed to follow comm... More...    $0 (03-02-2012 - VA)

Sergeant J. A. Wood appeals the district court’s denial of qualified immunity in this civil suit arising out of Wood’s warrantless entry into the plaintiffs’ home. Because the objective circumstances confronted by defendant on the night in question suggested that plaintiffs’ home was being vandalized and that a missing teenage girl was in the house and in need of assistance, the search was... More...    $0 (06-29-2009 - VA)