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A DISTRICT ATTORNEY’S OFFICE IN NEED OF REFORM

Dec 17 2008
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Ethical Lapses, Forensic Impropriety and Extreme Carelessness; Another Day at the Harris County Criminal Justice Center

By Houston Criminal Defense Lawyer John Floyd and Paralegal Billy Sinclair

In October 2002 two young boys were playing together in downtown Houston when they were approached by a stranger who offered them money in exchange for removing some trash. One of the boys, who was eight years of age at the time, was lured into a nearby vacant house and sexually molested by the stranger.

Based on information supplied by the boy’s mother, Houston police officer Lisa Clemmons arrested a neighborhood resident named Ricardo Rachell for the sexual assault. The two boys identified Rachell as the attacker. That identification at the outset should have raised a red flag. Rachell has a terrible facial disfigurement caused by a shotgun blast years earlier. The molested boy did not mention any facial disfigurement to his mother when he initially told her about the sexual assault on the day it happened.

And the boy knew Rachell from seeing him around the neighborhood. The facial disfigurement caused Rachell to drool and he usually had a towel wrapped around his neck to wipe away the drool. While the young victim thought Rachell was “scary,” he did not identify the disfigured man as his attacker until the day after the sexual assault and only after his mother had talked to him about Rachell.

Officer Clemmons apparently did not perceive the significance of the boy’s failure to finger Rachell on the day of the attack. But she did collect biological evidence—clothing and medical swabs—from both the victim and Rachell. However, Rachell’s DNA was not processed so that it could be compared to biological evidence collected from the victim. Had Rachell’s DNA been properly processed and tested, he would not have been wrongfully convicted and sentenced to 40 years in prison in 2003.

In January 2008 Harris County Criminal District Court Judge Susan Brown issued a belated order that Rachell’s DNA be tested. In October the results of that testing disclosed unequivocally that Rachell was not the “stranger” who attack the boy. The wrongfully convicted man was released from custody on December 12, 2008 after six long years of protesting his innocence to anyone who would listen.

Why wasn’t the Rachell’s evidence processed and tested in 2002 as it should have been?
“That is a really good question,” Assistant District Attorney Roe Wilson responded after Rachell’s release. “It should have been tested. The defense attorney also could have requested testing.”
Rachell’s attorney, Ron Hayes, said he was not aware of the biological evidence when the case went to trial.

The Rachell case sounds eerily similar to another Harris County case—the Naon McKewn Williams case. The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals on December 10, 2008 was forced to reverse Williams’ capital murder conviction based on ineffective assistance of counsel. See: Williams v. Quarterman, Slip Opinion No. 05-20350 [Lexis and F.3d cites unavailable but decision can be retrieved through a Findlaw search].

Ten years before Rachell’s victim was sexually assaulted, Williams and a friend named Vaal Guevara, accompanied by Guevara’s friend Elaine, went to the apartment of Adonius Collier in Houston to arrange a drug transaction. At the apartment with Collier was a friend named Ammade Rasul and Rasul’s girlfriend, Stephanie Anderson.

After some preliminary discussions, the two groups agreed to complete the drug transaction at a nearby park. The groups traveled to the park in several vehicles. Once at the park, it was decided that Williams, Guevara, Collier and Rasul would go into some nearby woods and complete the drug transaction.

Williams was armed with a .25 caliber pistol and had a shotgun hidden under his clothing while Guevara carried a .22 caliber pistol. The two women who remained in the park heard gunfire erupt from the woods. Rasul testified that Williams shot him once in the face with the pistol and that he was shot a second time in the foot as he ran back toward the park. Forensic testimony at Williams’ trial linked the bullet removed from Rasul’s foot to Williams’ .25 caliber pistol.

Rasul and Anderson fled from the park and went to a local hospital to get medical treatment for Rasul. Anderson immediately reported the shooting to a Houston police officer. Police investigators were dispatched to the park where they found Collier’s dead body in the woods. Medical examiners conducted an autopsy on Collier, concluding that he had been shot in the head with a shotgun. The medical examiner recovered shotgun pellets from Collier’s cranial cavity and a spent and mutilated bullet.

The mutilated bullet, marked at “EB-1” at Williams’ trial, became a contentious piece of physical evidence. There were only four people present at the shooting scene: Collier, Williams, Guevara, and Rasul. With Collier dead and Williams not testifying, there were only two eyewitnesses testifying at trial: Guevara and Rasul.

Rasul testified that he ran away after Williams shot him in the face. While fleeing, he heard more shots – apparently one of them being the bullet that struck him in the foot. Rasul said he was shot before Collier was shot; therefore, he was not a real eyewitness to the actual shooting of Collier. That left only Guevara present when Collier was fatally wounded. As the Fifth Circuit pointed out, Guevara’s credibility was “very important” in assessing his version of the events. Although he initially testified that he did not fire his gun at all, he later admitted that he had fired his gun the in direction of Collier but did not hit him. He testified that he then ran after Rasul and never saw Williams shoot Collier, although he said he heard Williams say “no more witnesses” before hearing the shotgun blast and seeing Collier’s feet twitching.

The Harris County District Attorney’s Office called the county’s medical examiner, Dr. Brown, as an expert witness. Dr. Brown testified that the shotgun pellets killed Brown and that he was alive when struck by the shotgun blast. He based this conclusion on what the Fifth Circuit called a “red margin around Collier’s bullet wound.” Dr. Brown said this red margin indicated “blood pressure” at the time the wound was inflicted.

The prosecution bolstered the medical examiner’s testimony with the expert testimony of a Houston Police Department criminalist named Robert Baldwin. He gave quite specific and unequivocal testimony that the “EB-1” bullet came from a .25 caliber pistol like the one carried by Williams and not from a .22 caliber pistol like the one carried by Guevara. While Baldwin stated that he did not test fire either pistol, the criminalist testified that there was no doubt that his analysis was correct.

Williams was represented at trial by attorney Loretta Muldrow. She did not request an independent ballistics test or an independent autopsy or examination of the pathology report – even after learning that Baldwin had not test fired the two pistols. Muldrow would later testify at a state habeas hearing that while she had considered the theory that someone else shot and killed Collier as a viable defense, she did not develop that defense. She said her failure to seek an independent examination of the State’s “objective evidence” (presented through Dr. Brown and Baldwin) was based on the “faulty assumption” that the State had done an “adequate job” with its expert testing.

Williams was convicted and sentenced to death for the murder of Collier. He would later present strong credible evidence in post-conviction proceedings that he had been denied effective assistance of counsel. He retained his own experts to test the State’s evidence. A district court judge ordered the District Attorney’s Office to release Guevara’s .22 caliber pistol and its ballistics evidence. Before releasing that evidence, the District Attorney’s Office re-tested the ballistics evidence and learned that Guevara’s .22 caliber pistol had in fact fired the “EB-1” bullet. This evidence not only directly contradicted Guevara’s testimony but Baldwin’s testimony as well.

At the state habeas hearing Baldwin recanted his trial testimony and conceded that the “EB-1” bullet came from Guevara’s .22 caliber pistol. Williams’ habeas counsel also managed to secure an affidavit from Ronald Singer, the Chief Criminologist with the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office, who stated that Collier had suffered two wounds to the head – one inflicted by a .22 caliber bullet and the other inflicted by a shotgun. Singer also stated that the bullet recovered from Rasul’s foot had not been fired by the .22 caliber pistol as Guevara had indicated. He said the “EB-1” bullet and the .25 caliber bullet removed from Rasul’s foot were “easily distinguishable.” Finally, he stated that Baldwin’s trial testimony “at best demonstrates extreme carelessness on his part and at worst calls into question his expertise.”

Williams’ habeas counsel also presented an affidavit from Dr. Andrew Krouse, Deputy Chief Medical Examiner in Tarrant County, who had been hired to examine the autopsy evidence and Dr. Brown’s testimony. Dr. Krouse not only refuted Dr. Brown’s testimony about the “red margin” significance, he said the pistol wound from Guevara’s gun carried a “high probability of fatality,” indicating that Guevara had actually killed Collier.
Williams’ habeas counsel bolstered these expert affidavits with two affidavits from jurors who said they would have voted differently had they known about the “correct” ballistics evidence.
The Fifth Circuit did not have any serious difficulty finding that Williams had indeed been denied effective assistance of counsel by Muldrow’s failure to seek an independent examination of the State’s evidence.

The Rachell and Williams cases reflect not only a pressing need but an absolute duty by any criminal defense attorney to push the Harris County District Attorney’s Office to the wall in every criminal case. Williams’ lawyer erred in 1992 by assuming that the District Attorney’s office had done an “adequate job” in its medical and forensic testing of the evidence against her client. Apparently Rachell’s lawyer did the same thing in Rachell’s case in 2002. DNA analysis had been around 14 years when Rachell was put to trial. It was, and remains, standard law enforcement practice to collect DNA and other biological evidence in sexual assault cases for forensic testing.

But the defense lawyers are not the ones at fault in these cases. Many lawyers over the years, acting in good faith believed in the Houston Police Department, its lab and the District Attorney’s Office to seek the truth and present a fair and honest case to a jury. The District Attorney’s Office bears tremendous ethical accountability for its handling of the physical evidence in both cases. It did not re-test the ballistics evidence in the Williams case until it was ordered to release the original reports to Williams’ counsel for the state habeas hearing. The results of that re-testing revealed that the prosecution’s chief witness had not only lied under oath but was actually the one who killed Collier.

The ethical lapse in the Rachel case is even more staggering. The District Attorney’s office was aware that Officer Clemmons had secure biological evidence from the child victim and a sample of Rachell’s DNA. It elected to prosecute, convict, and secure a 40-year prison term against Rachell knowing fully well that this critical forensic evidence had not been tested.

These two cases, ten years apart, reflect the compelling need for “ethical reform” in the Harris County District Attorney’s Office. It was reported by the Houston Chronicle that Rachell’s case is one of about 540 which have either been reviewed, or which are currently under review, by the District Attorney’s Office for possible forensic impropriety. The Chronicle report raises an interesting question: why didn’t the District Attorney’s Office itself discover the horrendous mistake made in the Rachell case during its review of these 540 cases?

Rachell’s appellate counsel requested an independent examination of the biological and DNA evidence in April 2007. It took eight months before Judge Brown ordered the independent testing, another ten months before the testing established Rachell’s innocence, and two more months before he walked out of jail a free man.

The Rachell evidence had been sitting for six years in an evidence room. The prosecutor who handled that case knew the evidence had not been properly processed and tested. He/she did nothing to correct that obvious error. Similarly, the prosecutor in the Williams case knew there was a reasonable possibility that Guevara had killed Collier with the .22 caliber pistol. He initially denied firing at Collier but later admitted that he shot in Coller’s direction but did not hit him. You don’t need a seeing eye dog to lead you to the obvious.

Whether incoming District Attorney Pat Lykos will undertake to reform the Harris County District Attorney’s Office, as Craig Watkins had done with the Dallas District Attorney’s Office, remains to be seen. What must be clear to every Harris County criminal defense attorney now is that you cannot trust the District Attorney’s Office. You can never, ever, assume that the office has done an “adequate job” in putting a case together – and you must always, as the first order of business, demand disclosure of all the State’s evidence. The Williams case also points to the need to request independent testing of all the State’s physical evidence. Nothing can be taken for granted. Nothing. There is a culture of fabrication, misrepresentation, and mendacity in the Harris County law enforcement community when it comes to forensic evidence. It has led to a legion of wrongfully convicted persons.

By: Houston Criminal Defense Attorney John Floyd and Paralegal Billy Sinclair

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    He took time out of his day to answer my legal questions and didn’t even charge me. I would definitely recommend him to you.
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  • Avatar Samyra Carrasquillo ★★★★★ 3 years ago
    Very professional honest and works hard currently working my husband’s appeal I pray he does his best workPositive
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  • Avatar Raul Perez ★★★★★ 3 years ago
    I contacted John T. Floyd Law firm and I was very satisfied with service extremely helpful and friendly thank you Mr. FloydPositive
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  • Avatar Johnny Johnson Jr ★★★★★ 3 years ago
    This law frim was informative,great response time ,and the attorney called back not some secretary or legal assistant thank u guys for all your help wish it was more like youPositive … More
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  • Avatar Dana Adkison ★★★★★ 3 years ago
    I would highly recommend Mr Floyd. He was very helpful and knowledge with a legal question I had.Positive
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  • Avatar Crecencio Fabian ★★★★★ 3 years ago
    He explained my case better then any other lawyerPositive
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  • Avatar Barry Lewis ★★★★ 3 years ago
    Very informative
  • Avatar Ismael Flores ★★★★★ 3 years ago
  • Avatar Haley Danielle Lummus ★★★★★ 3 years ago
  • Avatar Eddie Villarreal ★★★★★ 3 years ago
  • Avatar Neil Productions ★★★★★ 4 years ago
    Had the pleasure speaking with John Floyd on a personal matter, he was very responsive, nothing but exceptional, and he really cares about you with sincerity and most importantly knows … More what is he talking about! No games or bs, his approach to my situation even though I knew it was probably way smaller then what he normally takes on, he was extremely helpful and didn't care about the size of the matter like other attorneys do. He really looked out for my best interests. You can tell he has decades of experience doing what he does just by chatting with him. I would highly recommend him.
  • Avatar S A ★★★★★ 4 years ago
    Words can’t describe how grateful I am for working with John, he went above and beyond my expectation. I was wrongly accused and hired many lawyers before hiring John Floyd but they … More all disappointed me, I had lost hope until a friend of mine referred me to John. From the start he had my best interest in mind and gave helpful advice, he explained the process and guided me. He put more work and time than all my previous lawyers that cost me thousands of dollars. He was constantly communicating with court and defended me more than all lawyer i had hired before him. Don’t waste your time and money like I did, believe me when I say I hired countless lawyers before him and no one came close to John. I’m forever thankful for him for fighting for my innocence and getting my case dismissed. Thank you so much🙏🏼🙏🏼
  • Avatar Gary Watch ★★★★★ 4 years ago
    I called Mr Floyd and left a message, with in the hour I received a call back with much more information then I could have ever expected. Mr Floyd was very informative on every question … More I had for him. He seemed like he cared, instead of like most attorneys that you talk to that are just out for a quick buck. If you want someone that is going to shoot strait with you, and has your best interest in hand, this is you guy. This was the best experience that I have ever had with an lawyer.
  • Avatar Saman Daftarian ★★★★★ 4 years ago
    I can state with confidence that Mr. Floyd and his team are the most competent and professional lawyers one can hope for. My case was quite complex and I admit that as a law student … More I was not the most patient client. Mr. Floyd did a phenomenal job of managing the bench, prosecution and myself! The result was above expectation, and I will never hesitate to recommend this firm regardless of the caliber of the case at issue.
  • Avatar calvin robinson ★★★★★ 4 years ago
    It was a pleasure working with Mr. Floyd. I contacted him regarding a legal matter and he was extremely knowledgeable about the law, and responded in a timely manner. I appreciated … More the fact I did not feel rushed, and he made sure he thoroughly answered all questions I had. I would highly recommend him!Positive
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  • Avatar Alan Howk ★★★★★ 4 years ago
    Spoke with John Floyd about a 45 year old criminal case I was involved in. I had very little information about the case and John helped me search what records were available and gave … More me guidance to find more information. He was very professional and took his time helping me. I may need to hire a lawyer on this case and Mr. Floyd will be the man.Thanks John.
  • Avatar CMCustom Cycles ★★★★★ 4 years ago
    Very professional and straight forward. He's not going to waste your time or money. Very knowledgeable in a large range of possible matters one could face living in these days … More and times. If ever you need legal assistance, this is who I would suggest. Awesome!Positive
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  • Avatar Greg Page ★★★★★ 4 years ago
    I called about some legal questions I needed to get clarified and John was able to give me clarification and sound advice. I will definitely contact John for all future legal questions … More and issues.Thank you John!Positive
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  • Avatar Kristen Rankin ★★★★★ 4 years ago
    Knows his stuff and well respected with DA and judges. I have referred him a couple times and every client has been satisfied
  • Avatar Kedar Puranik ★★★★★ 4 years ago
    John is beyond knowledgeable! If I decide to pursue my case any further I would only have him represent me.
  • Avatar Joseph Sivadon ★★★★★ 4 years ago
    What a great attorney, this guy really took time out of his day to answer my questions and explain my case to me. Very grateful, thank you so muchPositive
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  • Avatar Lex Strider ★★★★★ 4 years ago
    Absolutely a very professional lawyer. Very well read in the current law and more than willing to help if needed.
  • Avatar karim khalifa ★★★★★ 4 years ago
    Mr. John he’s a professional he knows what he’s doing and he’s patient they recommend Him stronglyPositive
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  • Avatar James Haggard ★★★★★ 4 years ago
    Great service, very knowledgable and happy to help with any questions I had
  • Avatar David Sustaita ★★★★★ 4 years ago
    Quick to action and helpful and knowledgeable with entertainment industry based issues!
  • Avatar Chad Groves ★★★★★ 4 years ago
    Responded on a holiday week. Very knowledgeable and reassuring.
  • Avatar Mark Fein ★★★★★ 4 years ago
    Very professional
  • Avatar Bthomason903 Bthomason903 ★★★★★ 4 years ago
  • Avatar Anton Jasser ★★★★★ 4 years ago
  • Avatar Alma Garza ★★★★★ 4 years ago
  • Avatar Victory 2020 ★★★★★ 6 years ago
    I want to thank John T. Floyd and all of his team. He is the best lawyer who cares aboutHis clients and fights really hard to get the best outcome. He is a fighter and he is awesome!!!I … More recommend if any one needs criminal defense , he is the BEST. We had a really serious caseAnd we are very thankful for the outcome. Thank you John!!!!! God bless you!!!!!!
  • Avatar Alma Garcia Cunningham ★★★★★ 6 years ago
    The attorneys at John T. Floyd Law Firm work diligently to achieve the best possible results for their clients. They are caring and knowledgeable professionals. Their expertise in the … More law and their experience as trial attorneys makes them the right choice as a defense attorney. I recommend this law firm highly.
  • Avatar Rajiv Patel ★★★★★ 6 years ago
    From beginning to end this firm handled my case like the top tier professionals they are. I would not trust ANYONE else with my legal needs after having less than stellar experiences … More with other teams. Thank you Floyd!!!
  • Avatar Jose Tapia ★★★★★ 6 years ago
    I really felt like the team cared about my case and am super satisfied with the outcome. Would not recommend anyone else!
  • Avatar Sagar Patel ★★★★★ 6 years ago
    These guys do amazing work and have phenomenal service! Hands down best in the Houston area!!
  • Avatar RAYNINN ★★★★★ 6 years ago
    John and Chris are true professionals! Love those guys like family!
  • Avatar Virginia Martin ★★★★★ 6 years ago
    Mr. Floyd and his team are very knowledgeable, informative, and helpful.
  • Avatar Darla Latham ★★★★★ 6 years ago
    A team you can depend on to stand up and fight for you to prove the truth the whole truth!
  • Avatar Veronica Elorza ★★★★★ 6 years ago
  • Avatar Karetta Lux ★★★★★ 7 years ago
    Mr. John T. Floyd represented me.I couldn't be happier with the outcome he managed to achieve on an VERY Important case that was dismissed the day of Trial. He is patient & … More very knowledgeable of the legal system. I HIGHLY recommend him to anyone in need of a lawyer!John, I am forever grateful & satisfied with the effort you put forth & all you did for me. Thank you isn't enough!God bless you & your family!
  • Avatar GM ★★★★★ 8 years ago
    The John T. Floyd Law Firm assisted me, and I can tell you that the attorney took the time to answer my questions, and I didn't feel rushed or dismissed as I have experienced in … More the past with attorneys. The attorney was very nice and extremely knowledgeable. Initial impressions and continued excellent customer service are big factors for me and as such I would highly recommend this firm.
  • Avatar Sandra Bivens ★★★★★ 8 years ago
    I thank you for your efforts to help Felons regain their Civil rights, and for the information on possession , I am A convicted Felon, no violent history. I am an expert shot, I am … More 76 yoa, and very concerned about the present lake of Security in our State and Country. God Bless and Prosper you in your efforts, Your friend, Sonny Bivens
  • Avatar Mike Kittelson ★★★★★ 8 years ago
    I really appreciated both Chris and John helping with my legal questions and concerns. Both are good guys and I would not hesitate to recommend them.
  • Avatar Robert Hair ★★★★★ 8 years ago
    Extremely helpful!!! Helping me understand the law.

John T. Floyd is Board Certified in Criminal Law By the Texas Board of Legal Specialization

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