The Tiger King Trial - Murder for Hire:
the Prosecution of Joseph Maldonado-Passage
Tiger King was the number one rated show on Netflix drawing over 34 million viewers in its first 10 days. However, the documentary reveals only part of the story. In this interactive presentation attendees will learn the complete story of the trial of Joseph Maldonado-Passage for two counts of Murder for Hire in violation of 18 U.S.C. 1958 (a) and several misdemeanor wildlife offenses. We will examine the trial testimony and discuss the prosecution attempts to use other acts evidence to show other attempts to solicit a hit on Carole Baskin, their attempt to protect the identity of the undercover FBI agent, and their efforts to prevent the defense from introducing evidence that someone else had committed these offenses. Attendees will review defense attempts to dismiss the indictment, prevent the joinder of misdemeanor offenses with the murder charge, and prevent the introduction of evidence. We will discuss the strength of the government’s case, possible defenses such as entrapment, defense strategy at trial, and the issues raised on appeal. The goal of this seminar is to learn various criminal rules, evidentiary rules, case law, defenses, and trial strategy while reviewing this fascinating trial.
The O.J. Simpson Trial: Attorney Blunders,
Bungles and Bloopers –
PLUS Amazing PowerPoint Trial Tips
Every attorney in their career makes mistakes. However, good attorneys will learn from their mistakes and the mistakes of others. George Washington once said, “To rectify past blunders is impossible, but we might profit by the experience of them.” In this seminar we will look to profit from the blunders of other attorneys. We will review the O.J. Simpson trial and other trials, both real and reel (film clips) to determine errors that attorneys made both inside and outside the courtroom and how we can learn from those mistakes. We will review blunders related to technology, courtroom demonstrations, expert testimony, pretrial preparation, pleadings, cross-examinations, and arguments of counsel. Further, Marcine Supelak, an award-winning professional graphic designer, will explain how to create the perfect PowerPoint for trial that will impress both judge and jury. We will also review cases where courts have reversed verdicts because of the improper use of PowerPoint.
Reporting Child Sexual Predators,
Fumbling a Duty to Protect
Victims of Sexual Abuse
Ms. Ford’s testimony before the Senate Judiciary committee, the prosecution of comedian Bill Cosby, and Dr. Nassar’s sexual abuse of Olympic Athletes has raised the issue that victims of sexual abuse do not report these crimes. Many professionals estimate that one in four females and one in ten males are sexually abused as minors. However, as a career prosecutor and police legal advisor I have noticed that there are many common misconceptions about sexual predators that prevent these crimes from being reported. In this seminar we will discuss R.C. 2151.421, Ohio’s mandatory reporting statute that requires professionals including attorneys to report of sexual abuse of minors. We will consider difficulties professionals face when determining whether to file report of sexual misconduct pursuant to this statute. Attendees will examine R.C. 2901.13, Ohio’s statute of limitations and how this statute can determine whether the State can prosecute sex offenses that went unreported for years or decades after the offense. Finally, we will determine what we can do as professionals and as parents to prevent this type of conduct from going unreported.