After firing Ms. Cooper, Maye now has the original public defender, Mr. Bob Evans. Mr. Evans was preparing an appeal. He asserts he will continue to do so, even after having been fired by the City of Prentiss as their public defense attorney. Apparently they don't like the idea of any appeals or retrials for Cory Maye.
However, the time, and the resources of a public defender are very limited. It may be obvious that a public defender, within the scope of those limitations, cannot do the job to the quality that a large law firm could.
accounting outsourcing company Investigative work is needed, to see if evidence may have been overlooked, and to see if additional testimony exists that is relevent to the case. What's missing in the actual court hearing is corabborating witness or conflicting witness testimony. There are no witnesses brought to the stand except for the police officers, Cory Maye, Dr. Stephen Hayden. Later, after the charge of capital murder was handed down by the jury, there was a brief appearance by Maye's mother (aunt???). There are no neighbors testifying at the trial, either on the one hand stating that the police flashers were on continuously, that they were waving flashlights and shouting "Police" very loudly, or on the other hand, that they were operating in the stealth surprise mode of a typical no-knock drug house approach.
Jamie Smith should be located. Smith, and or his girlfriend, may have testimony as to whether the police shouted "Police. Search Warrant" repeatedly, as they assert occured, or at least knowledge of whether such statements were audible from within the apartment. There may be other points of conflict in the testimony of these persons, should they be located; including as just one example, whether Ronald Smith was at the front of the building as was asserted, or whether upon approaching the building, he immediately went to the back of the building to cover the back door and attempt entry there.
Neighbors shoud be interviewed. Phone logs, and any police radio tapes examined to try to establish some basis for a timeline. The confidential informant should be located and interviewed to determine what exactly he told Jones. It may be possible to do this by looking at the mobile phone records of Ron Jones. Some members of the police force may have quit, and on reflection a year or two later, they may have a change of heart or remember things differently. Police radio tapes may establish the actual length of time between when they approached the house, and when they first called in that an officer was down.
It is interesting that no factual log data was brought into the court. Only the assertions of the police as to "several minutes" or "five or six minutes" were entered into testimony.
In most appeals processes, there are limited grounds for appealing a verdict since the evidence entered and accepted by the jury in the trial are considered factual. However, in this case additional new evidence may well turn up.
lp141wp1 To bury this case under a mountain of time and paperwork, so that years hence it eventually is disposed of - long after District Attorney McDonald has retired.