Trial Attorneys Sam Tooker and Marcelo Torricos Obtain Not Guilty Verdicts

The not guilty verdicts were on four counts of attempted murder charges and one charge of state firearms violation in Greenville County Court of Sessions, announces GreenvilleLegal.com
2/10/2017 (Greenville, South Carolina) Trial attorneys Sam Tooker of David R. Price, Jr., P.A., and Marcelo Torricos of Bannister, Wyatt & Stalvey, LLC, obtained not guilty verdicts on four counts of attempted murder and one count of a state firearms violation in the Greenville County Court of General Sessions.
Over the course of the three-day trial, the Defense was able to present evidence that the state’s witnesses misidentified the defendant at the scene of the alleged shooting. The conflicting eye witness testimony was highlighted when one of the state’s witnesses, a security guard for the Greenville, South Carolina club where the shooting occurred, took the stand and made very serious claims that directly refuted his prior statement to law enforcement. Mr. Tooker highlighted these inconsistencies during cross examination and forced the witness to admit that he lied under oath.
Mr. Tooker and Mr. Torricos were pleased with the result and more pleased that after eighteen months of waiting, their client was finally exonerated by a jury of his peers. “Today the system worked,” Mr. Torricos, said. “Justice was served,” he continued.
“We put our faith in the jury, and the jury agreed that the only true verdict was a verdict of not guilty,” Mr. Tooker, added.
The attorneys indicated that after successfully defending the case they would now apply to have the charges expunged from their client’s criminal history.
“Every person is presumed innocent until the State proves guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. With the lack of evidence submitted by the prosecution in this case, we ensured that our client obtained the only fair verdict in this case,” Mr. Tooker said.
Often, investigators and other members of law enforcement fail to adequately assess the four corners of the evidence existing when a crime takes place and as a result, fail to preserve evidence that could be help a jury determine guilty or innocence. That is why when charged with a crime, accused persons benefit by seeking the aid of a competent Greenville criminal defense attorney.
In Mr. Tooker and Mr. Torricos’s trial, the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office found a blood-soaked coat across the street from the club where the shooting occurred, but the investigators failed to have the coat tested for DNA, blood, type, or gunshot residue. The Defense highlighted this and other aspects of the case that law enforcement failed to investigate during the trial and in the Defense’s closing argument.
With the inconsistent trial testimony and lack of forensic evidence, the Defense believed its Greenville County jury was left with no choice but to acquit in short order. The jury, ultimately, returned its verdicts of Not Guilty after deliberating for less than two hours.
About David R. Price, Jr., P.A.
The law firm of David R. Price, Jr., P.A. serves the Greenville, South Carolina community, providing legal services with a primary focus on car accidents, personal injury, workers’ compensation, and criminal defense. If you are in need of a Greenville criminal defense lawyer, call us today.