Story of lawyer, prostitute helps win an acquittal
By Robert Gavin
Published 10:57 am, Wednesday, August 28, 2013
Page 1 of 1
Heard the one about the lawyer and the prostitute?
Jurors heard it, too. Then they spared a two-time violent felon a potential life sentence when he was acquitted after less than three hours of deliberation.
The one-liner in question was no joke, but rather part of attorney Cheryl Coleman's closing argument on behalf of her client, Raheem Hines, 35, of Albany, who was on trial last week for allegedly robbing a woman at knifepoint on Sept. 28, 2012 on the 200 block of North Pearl Street.
With two prior felony convictions, Hines was staring at life behind bars because his third rap would make him a "persistent violent felon," making him a candidate for 25 years to life.
Before the trial, Albany County prosecutors offered Hines a less-than-tempting plea bargain to resolve the case by serving 18 years to life. He rejected it.
The alleged robbery victim said Hines put a knife to her neck around 1:40 a.m., demanded all her money and robbed her of $20. She said she suffered defensive knife wounds to fingers on her left hand. Albany police, following sporadic drops of blood along North Pearl Street, located Hines in the nearby Ida Yarbrough housing development with his hand wrapped. They arrested him and found a $20 bill on him.
Easy case? Apparently not.
Coleman argued the woman was no robbery victim, but a prostitute. She noted there was no blood on the $20 bill and said the reason was that her client never gave it to the woman. Coleman focused on the woman's testimony that she had $30 but Hines robbed her of only $20 of it.
"What sense does that make?" Coleman told the jury before Judge Stephen Herrick. "What kind of robber only takes two-thirds of your money? Not even a lawyer does that. A lawyer takes one-third of your money. But who takes two-thirds? I mean, she said he said, 'Give me all your money.' What kind of robber leaves you with a third of it? What kind of robber leaves you with 10? The worst robber in the world? It makes no sense."
Jurors got the case at 10:13 a.m. Friday. By 12:58 p.m., they had their verdict: Not guilty.
The deliberations included time for lunch.
Hudson's not happy
Last week we focused on the case of convicted dog abuser Anthony Walker and that despite a five-year ban from owning pets, Walker is allowed to live in the same house as his mother's dog.
Suffice to say, that news was not overwhelmingly popular with many readers — not the least of whom was one of his four-legged victims.
The popular Facebook page for "Hudson the Railroad Puppy," one of the baby pit bulls who fell victim to Walker's abuse, posted an official statement after Law Beat reported Walker's unusual arrangement last week.
The statement explained Hudson's owners initially knew Walker would be allowed to live with his mother's dog, Bella. But when Albany County District Attorney David Soares began touting the pet ban, which lasts the length of Walker's probation, they thought that arrangement had been avoided.
"We were very excited and happy and thought something in the laws had changed that we didn't know about," Hudson's statement read. "Now to revert back to the original deal is just... Very Disappointing!!!! This monster scum should never be around an animal! EVER!!!!"
The page, created by Hudson's owner, is "liked" by at least 2,800 Facebook users.
Walker, 30, of Albany was sentenced by Judge Peter Lynch to six months in jail (time already served) and the five years probation for breaking Buster's Law, the state's felony animal cruelty statute.
Walker abandoned Hudson and his sisters, Pearl and Carina, last September on train tracks on Pearl Street. Hudson now needs to wear a prosthesis after his paw was amputated. Pearl lost two of her toes. Carina did not survive.
In January, Walker abandoned four more dogs, at least one starving and almost frozen to death, in a U-Haul trailer in Colonie.
His plea deal covered both cases. Soares told reporters even if Walker got the top sentence of two years in jail he could have adopted an animal once he got out.
He suggested the plea deal was a better option because it banned Walker from being around animals for five years.
Just not the dog owned by his mother.
rgavin@timesunion.com • 518-434-2403 • @RobertGavinTU
Jurors heard it, too. Then they spared a two-time violent felon a potential life sentence when he was acquitted after less than three hours of deliberation.
The one-liner in question was no joke, but rather part of attorney Cheryl Coleman's closing argument on behalf of her client, Raheem Hines, 35, of Albany, who was on trial last week for allegedly robbing a woman at knifepoint on Sept. 28, 2012 on the 200 block of North Pearl Street.
With two prior felony convictions, Hines was staring at life behind bars because his third rap would make him a "persistent violent felon," making him a candidate for 25 years to life.
Before the trial, Albany County prosecutors offered Hines a less-than-tempting plea bargain to resolve the case by serving 18 years to life. He rejected it.
The alleged robbery victim said Hines put a knife to her neck around 1:40 a.m., demanded all her money and robbed her of $20. She said she suffered defensive knife wounds to fingers on her left hand. Albany police, following sporadic drops of blood along North Pearl Street, located Hines in the nearby Ida Yarbrough housing development with his hand wrapped. They arrested him and found a $20 bill on him.
Easy case? Apparently not.
Coleman argued the woman was no robbery victim, but a prostitute. She noted there was no blood on the $20 bill and said the reason was that her client never gave it to the woman. Coleman focused on the woman's testimony that she had $30 but Hines robbed her of only $20 of it.
"What sense does that make?" Coleman told the jury before Judge Stephen Herrick. "What kind of robber only takes two-thirds of your money? Not even a lawyer does that. A lawyer takes one-third of your money. But who takes two-thirds? I mean, she said he said, 'Give me all your money.' What kind of robber leaves you with a third of it? What kind of robber leaves you with 10? The worst robber in the world? It makes no sense."
Jurors got the case at 10:13 a.m. Friday. By 12:58 p.m., they had their verdict: Not guilty.
The deliberations included time for lunch.
Hudson's not happy
Last week we focused on the case of convicted dog abuser Anthony Walker and that despite a five-year ban from owning pets, Walker is allowed to live in the same house as his mother's dog.
Suffice to say, that news was not overwhelmingly popular with many readers — not the least of whom was one of his four-legged victims.
The popular Facebook page for "Hudson the Railroad Puppy," one of the baby pit bulls who fell victim to Walker's abuse, posted an official statement after Law Beat reported Walker's unusual arrangement last week.
The statement explained Hudson's owners initially knew Walker would be allowed to live with his mother's dog, Bella. But when Albany County District Attorney David Soares began touting the pet ban, which lasts the length of Walker's probation, they thought that arrangement had been avoided.
"We were very excited and happy and thought something in the laws had changed that we didn't know about," Hudson's statement read. "Now to revert back to the original deal is just... Very Disappointing!!!! This monster scum should never be around an animal! EVER!!!!"
The page, created by Hudson's owner, is "liked" by at least 2,800 Facebook users.
Walker, 30, of Albany was sentenced by Judge Peter Lynch to six months in jail (time already served) and the five years probation for breaking Buster's Law, the state's felony animal cruelty statute.
Walker abandoned Hudson and his sisters, Pearl and Carina, last September on train tracks on Pearl Street. Hudson now needs to wear a prosthesis after his paw was amputated. Pearl lost two of her toes. Carina did not survive.
In January, Walker abandoned four more dogs, at least one starving and almost frozen to death, in a U-Haul trailer in Colonie.
His plea deal covered both cases. Soares told reporters even if Walker got the top sentence of two years in jail he could have adopted an animal once he got out.
He suggested the plea deal was a better option because it banned Walker from being around animals for five years.
Just not the dog owned by his mother.
rgavin@timesunion.com • 518-434-2403 • @RobertGavinTU
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