My son was released from custody today. He served less than three months behind bars. I believe the only reason he is out is because of the representation he received from the Law Office of James E. Farmer.
My son was a drug user who had no previous criminal history. What he did (and what he confessed to) was to drive a woman to his drug dealer and facilitate her purchase of one line of heron. She died later that night.
My son was one of a group of eight drug users that State Attorney, Richard Fritz decided to prosecute for murder in the summer of 2017. This effort by Mr. Fritz was meant to demonstrate how tough he is on Fentanyl related drug overdose deaths in St. Mary’s county. Mr. Fritz will tell you his initiative had nothing to do with his current re-election bid. I believe Mr. Fritz’s actions to publicize his prosecutions including a nationally televised press conference with our governors say otherwise.
Mr. Fritz charged my son with FIVE crimes: Second degree heart depraved MURDER, Manslaughter, Reckless Endangerment, Distribution and Possession. If convicted, he would be incarcerated for more than 20 years.
Mr. Farmer and his team took my son’s case and aggressively pursued the facts. My son was represented by no less than three attorneys and a field investigator. Together, they worked with my son to present to the court the whole facts of his case. They were able to show:
1. That Fentanyl was NOT part of this crime
2. The woman did NOT die of a heroin overdose
3. The crime scene had narcotics of an unknown origin (i.e. did NOT come from my son) and they did NO investigation or follow up with that evidence.
4. That the state did NOT perform a proper autopsy
It is because of the hard work, courtroom experience, and bull dog mentality by the Law Office of James E. Farmer that my son has been given a second chance. I thank God for this group of dedicated professionals. If you find yourself in need of representation, I highly recommend Mr. Farmer and his team.
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