Governor Gavin Newsom recently signed SB-775 into law, refining changes to felony murder conviction rules enacted by SB-1437, signed by former Governor Jerry Brown in 2018. While SB-1437 refined the rules for California prosecutors seeking felony murder convictions, SB-775 closes an unintended issue with SB-1437 that effectively prevented the changes from being implemented in cases that involved a conviction for offenses less severe than felony murder. If you or a loved one recently accepted a plea deal to avoid felony murder conviction or face such charges following the approval of SB-775, it ..read more

The Black Dahlia case is perhaps the most influential murder in the history of Los Angeles. This murder involves a dark-haired woman who disappeared after being dropped off at the Biltmore Hotel in January of 1947. The woman’s name was Elizabeth Short, and although she had not found fame before her disappearance, she became known all around the country the following week when her torso was discovered. When Betty Bersinger and her daughter were walking along a relatively barren street on the morning of January 15th, the women saw what they thought was two pieces of a mannequin. Shockingly, this ..read more

Although they are terms we have all heard many times, many people don’t actually know if manslaughter and murder are the same things or what makes them different in the eyes of the law. Manslaughter, like murder, is unlawful killing, but the difference is that there was no intent to kill or seriously harm the other individual and no reckless, extreme disregard for life. This is known as “malice aforethought.” When the killing occurs without malice aforethought, there is less moral blame placed upon the killer than there would be with murder. Manslaughter typically falls into one of two categor ..read more

Los Angles is the nation’s entertainment capital and a true cultural mecca – but it’s also a hotbed of violent crime. In addition to homicides resulting from interpersonal disputes and gang wars, the city is home to some of the 20th century’s most notorious serial killers, including the Night Stalker, the Golden State Killer, the Hillside Stranglers, and the Manson family. In 2018, career criminal Samuel Little admitted to murdering 93 people throughout the country between 1970 and 2005, making him the most prolific serial killer in the history of our country. Most of his murders occurred in S ..read more

Widely regarded as the entertainment capital of the world, Los Angeles offers a pleasant climate, iconic landmarks, a wide variety of world-class art and culture museums, and 75 miles of coastline for the nation’s best swimming and surfing. Since the 1980s, the City of Angels has also become well-known for high crime rates, particularly violent crimes such as assault, robbery, rape, and murder. There were 2,202 homicides in the state of California during 2020, representing a 31.1% increase from the 1,679 homicides reported in 2019. Of these crimes, 677 homicides were committed in Los Angeles C ..read more

We are happy to announce that Brentford Ferreira, former Head of the Los Angeles County DA Office Habeas Unit, is now Of Counsel to Stein & Markus.  He will be handling all of our appeals.  Welcome Brentford! The post Brentford Ferreira joins Stein & Markus Appeals Division as Of Counsel appeared first on Law Office of Stein & Markus | Attorney in Bellflower, CA ..read more

What Are Los Angeles DA Special Directives? After being sworn into office on December 7, 2020, new Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón issued several special directives to create changes in the field of criminal law. He recognizes that injustices in the criminal courts can result in severe consequences that extend far beyond the accused individual to cause substantial, lasting damage to entire communities. To fix laws that ultimately undermine the principles of fairness, justice, and equality, Gascón instituted the following data-driven reforms: Special Directive 20-06 (Pretrial ..read more

Murder is one of the most serious crimes a person can commit. From a legal standpoint, murder is when someone kills another human being with forethought. To put it more clearly, to be charged with murder, it must be proven that the offender intended the death of the other person. Felony murder is much different – though can be as serious – as murder. Though felony murder is an extremely serious crime as well, it isn’t the same charge. Felony murder concerns a death that occurred during the act of a felony crime. Most people agree that such a severe crime deserves appropriate punishment, but ma ..read more

In September, a new law signed by California Governor Gavin Newsom amends a former law by giving judges discretion on listing an individual as a sex offender if they have consensual anal or oral sex with a minor aged 14 or older. This type of judicial discretion is already granted in statutory rape cases involving a man who has vaginal sexual intercourse with a minor. However, it didn’t include circumstances in which an adult engaged in consensual oral or anal sex with a minor. The old law was considered by many to discriminate against young LGBTQ individuals who engage in relationships with m ..read more

Over the last several years, public news stories concerning the #MeToo movement, widespread sexual abuse in Hollywood, and high-profile sexual misconduct cases in American universities, have drastically shifted the tone surrounding sexual misconduct cases in US schools. While victims must have a voice and legal options for pursuing justice, the accused often have little to no public support whatsoever. Unfortunately, the shift in attention to the rights of victims encourages some to be willing to shed the responsibilities of due process. The DeVos administration over the United States Departme ..read more