Trial Summary: Sexual Abuse Defendant Found Not Guilty After Switching Attorneys

I was hired to protect the rights of JB, a quiet man who had been accused of sexually abusing his stepdaughter, after his original attorney let him down. The case against him had been pending in the courthouse for almost 4 years, so complications abounded. As the prosecution prepared to set the case for trial, the defense bench sat conspicuously empty, and the courtroom buzzed with restless whispers.

At first, JB's case seemed destined for a conviction. He didn't have a lot of faith in his original lawyer, who had been on the case since the beginning but had fumbled through pre-trial hearings, missed inconsistencies, and let damaging accusations stand unchallenged, among other serious issues with the defense. Even though the trial was just four months away, JB fired him because he knew he needed a new lawyer. The presiding judge had granted a short extension to find a new lawyer, but time was now up.

However, JB had an update for the judge at the latest hearing. "JB, do you have a new lawyer," she asked. "I do, Judge. His name is Geoffrey Puryear, Your Honor." It was time for me to live up to the reputation behind both my name and that of Cofer & Connelly, PLLC.

The accusations were serious. JB was facing a second-degree felony and up to 20 years in prison. He also faced lifetime sex offender registration, if convicted. The stakes were high, and time was short. I, Attorney-Partner Geoffrey Puryear, and Associate Kevin Garcia reviewed the evidence and developed a trial strategy. 

Only four months after being hired, we walked confidently into the courtroom to begin the trial. Throughout the trial, question by question, witness by witness, Attorney Garcia and I exposed major flaws in the prosecution's case—and the outcome of JB’s trial no longer seemed certain to end in a conviction.

The prosecution’s star witness was an 18-year-old girl, whose testimony had left the courtroom breathless days earlier. I didn’t question the girl’s sincerity, but what I did question, with meticulous calm, was how the accusation had taken shape.

I then questioned the girl's mother. I respectfully confronted her with a quote buried deep in some medical records that the mother had caught the girl lying about things. The medical records had been part of discovery all along, but it seemed that neither the prosecutor nor the original defense attorney had paid much attention to them. The prosecutor tried to explain it away but the seed of doubt was planted in the jury.

I last turned my attention to the witness who had interviewed the child. With precision, I exposed flaws in the interview methods, which were rife with leading questions and breaches in protocol that made the testimony unreliable. I cited cases, showed examples, and never once wavered.

As the jury filed out to deliberate, JB stared at me, barely breathing, and carefully asked, “You think this worked?”

I never offer false hope, though, because all it can do is cause unintentional harm. “We gave them the truth. Now they have to see it,” I explained.

Two hours later, the jury returned. The foreman stood. “Not guilty.”

I remember how JB gasped, leaning forward like the breath had just come back into his body. I rested a hand briefly on his shoulder in silent support. He exhaled, shoulders sagging as the weight of everything lifted from him. He shook my hand with both of his and said, “You saved my life.”

I simply replied, “You were always innocent. I just made them see it.”