|
In Criminal Court Division 7, ADAs Dru Carpenter and JD Hamblin, with the assistance of Victim Witness Coordinator Shanika Stone and Criminal Investigators AJ Kant and Jim Byers, won a guilty as charged verdict on charges of Especially Aggravated Kidnapping and Aggravated Rape in a cold case rape from 2005. In this case, defendant Orlando Nichols attacked the 17 year old victim in the parking lot of her apartment, took her to an ATM, and forced her to withdraw money. The defendant then drove her car with her in it to another apartment parking lot where he raped her. His DNA was found in her sexual assault kit, and later matched to a profile in the CODIS (Combined DNA Index System) database.
This week, ADA Rachel Moore conducted her first murder preliminary hearing. In this case, defendant Timothy Smith, along with 2 accomplices, allegedly entered a residence and held the occupants at gunpoint, demanding money. During the course of the robbery, one of defendant Smith’s accomplices shot and killed victim Terrance Hill, while defendant Smith was holding one of the other victims at gunpoint. Defendant Smith then attempted to shoot this other victim, who lunged away. After the testimony of two eye witnesses, Judge Karen Massey found probable cause for the Attempted Robbery and subsequent Felony Murder of victim Hill by defendant Smith. At the conclusion of proof, the defense asked for bond to be set at $100,000. ADA Moore noted for the Court the defendant’s seven prior charges of Failure to Appear, and the violent nature of the crime. Bond was set at $2,000,000. The defendant is still in custody.
 |
 Memphis Tenants Union sent a formal letter to our office, thanking DA Mulroy for helping to protect their "HUD-guaranteed right to organize" at Memphis Towers. Pictured above, Tenant Leader Ms. Joyce with a framed copy of DA Mulroy's reply.
ADA John Scott, pictured left at his swearing-in, started work this week with Vertical Team 3. ADA Scott has more than a decade of experience. Previously, he worked as a public defender, and in private practice.
|
From The Daily Memphian: DA’s office to seek pretrial detention for Huey’s shooting suspect
“Please note that our office did not have any role in the setting of bond amounts, which were in that case done by judicial commissioners.” Our office will seek pre-trial detention at Mr. Harris' next court appearance on June 1.
From The Commercial Appeal: Shelby Co. DA joins effort to stop state AG from taking control of post-conviction death penalty cases
“I was persuaded by the legal arguments that the law improperly infringed on the inherent prosecutorial discretion of local elected district attorneys, and also violated the rules regarding the captions of bills providing rudimentary notice of what the law is going to be about,” Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy told The Commercial Appeal in an email statement. “As someone long interested in voting rights, I was also troubled by stripping significant power away from an office which the state constitution guarantees to be an elected office and gives it to an unelected official.”
From WREG: Mulroy moves forward on effort to protect workers from wage exploitation
"Mulroy told the WREG Problem Solvers in January he wanted to expand the economic crimes unit at the DA’s office and shift to focus more on workers, rather than things like bad checks. “An employer has an employee but calls them an independent contractor to avoid paying them benefits,” he said as an example.
Since then, Mulroy said they’ve added two new attorneys to the unit and have partnered with local unions..."
 Stay safe and thanks for reading,
Steve Mulroy
District Attorney
|
