Phil Spector held enormous influence over the music industry for decades.  He produced some of the most widely recognizable songs from the most widely recognizable artists.  But underneath the genius was a man prone to violent outbursts.  On February 3, 2003 everything came crashing down for Phil Spector when B-list actress Lana Clarkson was fatally shot in his mansion.  His ensuing arrest for murder brought to light several interesting legal issues.  In this episode, Paul explains when a defendant's character and history of bad behavior can be exposed to a jury, as well as gives a basic explanation of what hearsay is and why it's generally inadmissible at a trial.  Listen and enjoy.

On August 2, 2016 Queens native Karina Vetrano went out jogging and never came home.  That night, her body was found and the Howard Beach Jogger murder became a sensational story in New York City for months.  A 20 year-old man named Chanel Lewis was ultimately arrested and convicted of the murder.  In this episode, Paul discusses the prosecution of Lewis and breaks down how the insanity defense is argued in New York, what police are allowed to do while interrogating a suspect,  the basics of DNA evidence in a courtroom setting and what actually happens when a jury is hopelessly deadlocked.

In the 1990s Dr. Murad Jacob Kevorkian assisted approximately 130 people commit suicide in Michigan.  In response, the Michigan legislature passed laws barring the practice and judges issued injunctions against the practice.  In this episode, Paul examines the unyielding drive of "Dr. Death" to euthanize those who he believed had the right to die on their own terms with dignity.  Listen and discover how the concepts of legal relevancy and the specific elements of a crime came front and center in a trial which captured national headlines and ultimately left Dr. Kevorkian frustrated and disappointed.

At just 24 days, army Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn's tenure as National Security Advisor is the shortest ever on record.  But he is far more notable for his three year delayed sentencing on a guilty plea to lying to federal agents.  In this episode, Paul explains how federal sentencing works and tackles the issue who who ultimately has the authority to stop a prosecution, all in the context of the Flynn case.  Tune in to hear how the Honorable Emmet Sullivan enlisted a third party to argue against the Department of Justice's decision to drop it's own prosecution, how the appeal was circumvented, and how President Trump ultimately put the issue to bed.

Al Capone used fear and intimidation to rule the organized crime world of Chicago for much of the 1920s.  Yet despite all the blood on his hands and wake of destruction he left behind, law enforcement could never make a case against him for violent crimes.  In this episode, Paul discusses how Al Capone learned the hard way that the only two things in life you can always count on are death and taxes.

Martin Shkreli was labeled "what's wrong with capitalism in America" after increasing the cost of certain life-saving medication for HIV+/AIDS patients over 5000% percent.  He was universally reviled and detested.  And then he was arrested and indicted on federal charges.  But Shkreli's indictment had nothing to do with the decision to raise the price of this crucial medication.  In this episode, Paul clarifies what federal laws Martin Shkreli was actually accused of breaking, and why it was so hard for him to get a fair trial.

Was Casey Anthony a party girl who killed her own daughter so she could live a life free of responsibility?  Or was she a grieving mother whose past history of suffering abuse impacted her ability to show distress and mourn?  Paul explains how the facts of this case get progressively more outrageous while breaking down trial strategy and showing why sometimes less is more when arguing to a jury.

On February 26, 2012 a local neighborhood watch coordinator in Sanford Florida by the name of George Zimmerman shot a 17 year old high school student named Trayvon Martin to death under suspicious circumstances.  Was it murder? Self-defense?  Listen as Paul breaks down exactly what Zimmerman was charged with, what his defense was and how the prosecution and defense made their arguments to the jury.   Paul explains how and why the decisions each lawyer made impacted the case significantly.

Welcome to the podcast!  In this introductory teaser episode Paul provides a bit of background on who he is and what this podcast is about.  In his career as a lawyer, he has had had more conversations than he can count where people could remember one specific facet of a case that was splashed all over the media for months, but had no idea how or why the case ended the way it did.  This podcast is for people who are curious to really know what happened in these dramatic legal battles and how they came to their final resolutions.