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Pictured Left to Right: Deputy DA Paul Hagerman, DA Mulroy, and First Deputy DA Chris Lareau
During this week's press conference, DA Mulroy released SCDAG's 2023 Annual Report, summarizing the highlights and challenges that have defined the period since assuming office in September 2022, extending through the end of 2023.
A few of the term highlights include:
- A refocus on violent crime
- Creation of the Justice Review Unit
- Staff Reorganization and Diversity
To view the 2023 Annual Report, click here.
DA Mulroy also announced new details about the Fast Track Violent Crime Initiative highlighting three areas: bail, speed, and investigation. The initiative IDs 11 violent and violence-associated offenses (“V11 offenses”) which will receive special priority.
Specifically:
Bail - We’ll oppose all bail decisions which don’t adequately reflect Public Safety concerns.
Speed - New prosecutor deadlines: (a) Get V11 cases out of General Sessions within 60 days of the defendant getting a lawyer;
(b) Once ready for indictment, indict within 30 days;
(c) Complete case (i.e., get to trial or plea) from start to finish within 15 months.
Investigation - Check the defendant’s background for other, even uncharged, offenses, either in Shelby or elsewhere.
(b) Where ballistics evidence available, use the national “NIBIN” ballistics database to see if the defendant can be linked to, and charged with, other crimes.
Happening in Court
The retrial of Kanesha Preyer is set to conclude this week. In October 2020, Preyer was charged with first degree murder for her involvement in the shooting death of her partner during a domestic disturbance. Preyer allegedly shot the victim in the chest and then handed the gun to a person in a car nearby.
ADA Katie Raton is handling this case.
Willie Wooten, charged with aggravated assault against another person in January 2022, began trial this week. In January 2022, a man reported to police he was cut on the right side of his face and neck area and also broke his leg during the attack. Wooten was then identified by the victim and arrested.
ADAs Scot Bearup and Jose Leon are handling this case.
Our office secured a guilty plea conviction this week in the case of Fred Ester III. Ester was charged with theft of property over $1,000 in March 2022 after he entered a pawn shop and asked the manager to view a ring valued at $1,899. After the employee handed him the ring, he fled the store without paying for the ring. Ester was found guilty as charged and was sentenced to two years of probation, theft cessation class, and office of re-entry.
ADA Caleb Sanders handled this case.
SCDAG welcomes 2024 Interns
The 2024 interns pictured with ADA Gavin Smith, Sgt. Josh Davis and K-9 Glitch
18 individuals from various schools began their internship this week at our office. The eager interns visited K-9 Glitch and Sgt. Josh Davis of the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force. With assistance from ADA Gavin Smith, the interns were able to learn about the work done within their department and got to meet Glitch.
SCDAG's Office in the News
“You have X number of years of experience and you’re working side-by-side with someone who has even less years of experience and they’re getting paid 20 grand more than you. And there’s no reason for it; it’s obviously a morale killer,” Mulroy said.
Mulroy said there have been situations in which a county supervisor is paid less than someone who reports to them.
Deputy District Attorney Paul Hagerman said he was in that situation for years as a county-paid supervisor.
“I’ve lived this thing for about 20 years,” Hagerman said. “I have supervised people, and I’ve been in the middle of murder trials supervising people handling different types of cases with less experience than me who are making more money than me. And that’s hard. It’s hard morale-wise.”
Pay disparity in DA's office could hamper prosecutorial abilities via Daily Memphian
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"The report says the average caseload for the year per prosecutor was nearly 500 cases (498).
87,206 cases total were handled – 9,867 felonies, 33,034 misdemeanors, and 44,305 traffic citations.
The D.A. said 120,257 charges were filed in that first year – 47,184 felonies and 73,073 misdemeanors.
According to the report, major violent crime (murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault) accounted for 23.3% of crime in that year span. Major property crime (theft, burglary, motor vehicle theft) accounted for 39.7% of crime. Guns, drugs, domestic violence, and simple assaults made up the rest."
Shelby County District Attorney General Steve Mulroy releases annual report on office's highlights, challenges, and more via Local Memphis
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Mulroy highlighted three key components that he and his team will continue to tackle: Refocusing on Violent Crime, Creation of a Justice Review Unit, and Staff Diversity and Reorganization.
“We’ve seen the nightmare cases that take five years to get to trial. Obviously, that’s got to be the exception rather than the rule, and on these cases, we want to move expeditiously. He has sent troops on the front line,” said Paul Hagerman, Shelby County Deputy District Attorney.
“I think the fast track violent crime initiative will help reduce the backlog because there will be a large class of cases, ones that tend to take longer that will be moving along much quicker,” Mulroy said. “I took office with a clear mandate for change both regarding reforming a criminal justice system that is sometimes unfair and also attacking a crime problem that had been persistent for over a decade.”
Steve Mulroy reflects on his first year as District Attorney of Shelby County via WREG
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"Mulroy officially launched the violent crime initiative, which involves “fast-tracking” cases, Jan. 1, 2024.
The annual report also promotes the office’s creation of the Justice Review Unit, which reviews convictions, sentences and officer-involved shootings as well as diversifying and reorganizing the office.
The report also goes over the DA office’s efforts in data collection and the expansion of its restorative justice program."
Report: DA's office handled more than 87K cases in 13 months via Daily Memphian
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For months, the DA's office and law enforcement entities around Memphis have said a small portion of the population are committing the majority of reported crimes. To combat that, Mulroy said the DA's office will also broaden its ballistics searching through the National Integrated Ballistics Information Network (NIBIN), to see if a firearm used in one crime someone has been charged with has been used elsewhere.
"We currently do check the NIBIN database for information related to the pending case," Mulroy said. "But for a [violent crime initiative] case], we're going to be doing a broader search to check for other offenses that we might be able to pin this defendant on and add to the charges."
When asked why expanding NIBIN searches had not been done before, Mulroy said he was not sure about the previous DA administration, but added that it could be due to "the sheer volume of cases."
DA’s office looks to fast-track some violent offenses to trial, plea deal within 18 months via Commercial Appeal
Thanks for reading,
 Steve Mulroy
District Attorney
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