If you’ve been reading this blog, you are aware that this firm won an appeal in the case of State v. William Yates, based on a recording error which deprived the defendant of a full transcript of his trial. The defendant had been convicted of a series of sexual offenses, including first degree rape and first degree sex offense. Those convictions were vacated, and the case was remanded to the trial court for a new trial. This effectively put the defendant back in the same position that he was in before his conviction. He could demand a new trial, or he could enter a plea.
The defendant’s original conviction had resulted in an effective life sentence where he would be in prison until he was over 100 years old. After remand, the defendant’s new sentence is only 13 years. It is unknown whether the defendant went through a second trial or whether he entered a plea; this firm’s representation ended with the appeal and did not extend to the trial level proceedings after the appeal was won. The end result, though, is that he will be released within a reasonable amount of time and still live a full life after his term has ended.