Successful Cases
Proven Trial Success
At the Law Office of W. Charles Fletcher, the results speak for themselves. With over 20 years of trial experience, we offer unparalleled legal representation that has seen years of sustained success.
Disclaimer
Criminal cases are like snowflakes. Each one is different. I am sharing these cases on my website to show my experience. You may not obtain the same results.
State v. D'Andre Wright - NOT GUILTY
16-2020-CF-5748
On the night of December 24, 2020, the two victims were walking down a street when a car pulled up to them. One of the victims told the police that Mr. Wright and another individual got out and started shooting at him. The shooting left a trail of bullets all the way down the street, even striking the front door of the victim's house as the two victims stumbled over each other and fell into the doorway. One of the victims and his uncle identified Mr. Wright as one of the shooters. At the scene the victims found Mr. Wright's Instagram account and noticed that 4 hours before the shooting, Mr. Wright posted a picture of himself and another individual to his Instagram story, both pointing guns at the camera. The gun that Mr. Wright had in the picture was a black and silver Taurus 9mm. Also on Mr. Wright's Instagram account were two additional photos of the black and silver Taurus 9mm posted 6 days before the shooting. In February of 2020 Mr. Wright and two other individuals were pulled over at 3:30 am in Flagler County. The police in Flagler found four guns in the car. One of them was the black and silver Taurus 9mm, located directly under Mr. Wright's seat. The silver and black 9mm Taurus was sent to FDLE and, after testing it, they determined that the six 9mm shell casings had been fired from that black and silver Taurus 9mm. Mr. Wright was arrested in June of 2020 for Attempted Second Degree Murder, Shooting or Throwing Deadly Missiles, and Possession of A Firearm By A Convicted Felon. Mr. Wright had no offer from the state and was facing 30 years with a minimum mandatory of 20 years, day for day. At trial we argued that the eyewitness identification of Wright was based on the Instagram account and not what the witnesses actually saw. The Jury agreed and found Mr. Wright NOT GUILTY on all three counts on April 21, 2022.
United States of America V. Edgar Vasquez - NOT GUILTY
2:19-cr-30-FRM
In September of 2019, Mr. Vazquez was pulled over for a traffic violation. After a search of his car, a kilo of cocaine was found underneath his seat. The police used this evidence to get a search warrant for his house. There, the police found another 500 grams of cocaine in his bedroom along with a fully loaded Desert Eagle .45 caliber handgun in a holster attached to the back of his bed's headboard. He was indicted by the federal government for Trafficking in Cocaine and Possession of a firearm "in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense." As charged he was Iooking at a minimum mandatory of 5 years on the drug count and a minimum of 5 years up to 40 consecutive, on the gun count. Mr. Vazquez refused to cooperate with DEA and ATF agents in any way to get a lesser sentence. The evidence of the cocaine offense was overwhelmingly in favor of the government, so we decided to tell the jury that Mr. Vazquez was guilty of the trafticking but not guilty of the gun charge. We tried the case in September of 2020 in the middle of the first Covid-19 outbreak, with masks on our faces and plexiglass everywhere in the courtroom. The government asserted that Mr. Vazquez kept the gun strapped to his bed to protect his drug tratticking in the event of a home invasion robbery. On cross examination, I asked a DEA agent if he kept his gun on his nightstand and he admitted he did. I asked him if he was a drug dealer and, of course, he said he wasn't. In closing arguments, we argued that the gun was for home protection, a right we all share. The jury found Mr. Vazquez NOT GUILTY on the gun count on September 14, 2020.
State of Florida v. Cedric Cutter - Death Penalty Charges DROPPED
Duval County Case# 01-31697 MMA, Division CR-C
On January 22, 2009, Cedric Cutter was indicted for two counts of First Degree Murder and the State filed a Notice of Intent to Seek the Death Penalty. Almost two years into the case, I took the deposition (sworn statement) of the State's primary witness. The witness said that the gunman he identified as Cedric Cutter was at least 6 feet tall. It turns out that Cedric Cutter was hardly even 5 feet 8 inches. After Mr. Cutter patiently waited in jail for almost two years, I was able to convince the state that they "had the wrong guy" and that we would prevail at trial with the defense of mistaken identification. On November 22, 2010, the State dropped the case, and an innocent man returned home to his family.
State of Florida v. Steven Heggs - NOT GUILTY
Duval County Case # 99-6635, CFA, Division CR-E
The State of Florida brought Mr. Heggs to trial on one count of Possession of a Firearm by A Convicted Felon. The allegations were that during a search of the trunk of Mr. Heggs' car, the arresting officer found a fully loaded 9mm "Uzi" assault rifle. At trial, the arresting officer testified that Mr. Heggs confessed to owning the Uzi assault rifle and that he had purchased it on the streets of Jacksonville. I defended Mr. Heggs at the trial held on February 17, 2000, and, despite the fact that the state presented evidence that Mr. Heggs' confessed to owning the fully loaded 9mm Uzi assault rifle that was found in the trunk of his (a convicted felon) car, the jury returned a verdict of Not Guilty.
State of Florida v. Edjarador Cromer - NOT GUILTY
Duval County Case #03-4064 , Division CF-A
The State of Florida brought Mr. Cromer to trial on one count of Sale or Delivery of Crack Cocaine. I defended Mr. Cromer at trial. At the trial, a narcotics officer testified that, while working in an undercover capacity, he approached a woman in the parking lot of a convenience store and asked her if she could help him get some crack cocaine. The woman agreed and the officer gave her a marked twenty-dollar bill. The officer, wired with a recording device, watched as the woman approached a man who was allegedly Mr. Cromer. The woman came back to the officer and gave the officer some crack cocaine, which she said she obtained from Mr. Cromer. Mr. Cromer was detained and searched about five minutes later and the detaining officer testified at the trial that he found the marked money in Mr. Cromer's pocket. Although both the woman and the detective testified at the trial, and despite the fact that the officer played an audio recording of the entire transaction, on August 20, 2003, the jury found Mr. Cromer NOT GUILTY
State of Florida v. Michael Holloway - NOT GUILTY
Duval County Case #01-8566-CFA, Division CR-C
The State of Florida brought Mr. Holloway to trial on one count of Burglary to a Dwelling. The allegations were that, in response to a silent burglar alarm, a police officer was dispatched to an address on the Westside. As the officer got out of his patrol vehicle, he observed two black males walking out of the very apartment that he was dispatched to. The officer asked the two men what they were doing and they both ran from him. The officer carefully noted that Mr. Holloway was carrying a small black camera bag. Both men were caught in the apartment complex within a few minutes. I defended Mr. Holloway at trial. The defendant took the stand in his own defense, and testified that he had taken his friend to one of his friend's apartments and was waiting outside. When his friend did not return, Mr. Holloway walked up to the apartment and stepped in for just enough time to realize that the apartment's door had been kicked off its hinges. He called for his friend and his friend walked out of a bedroom and tossed him the black camera bag. During the closing arguments of the trial, Mr. Fletcher argued that the only crime that Mr. Holloway committed was a trespass. On February 5, 2002, the jury found Mr. Holloway NOT GUILTY of Burglary to a Dwelling, and guilty of the lesser included offense of trespass, as requested by the defense.
State of Florida v. Dennis Moore - NOT GUILTY
Duval County Case # 01-3016 CFA
The State of Florida brought Mr. Moore to trial on one count of Possession of a Firearm by A Convicted Felon. The allegations were that Mr. Moore shot another person in the stomach and immediately fled the scene. Two nearby officers, having heard the shot and observing Mr. Moore running away, chased after him. At trial, the pursuing officer testified that once Mr. Moore turned a corner he heard the sound of metal sliding across pavement. Mr. Moore was found hiding under a vehicle and the gun was found on the pavement about 20 feet away. Mr. Moore was immediately taken back to the person who was shot. That person told the police that officers and testified at the trial that Mr. Moore was the person who shot him. At trial, a ballistics expert testified that the bullet retrieved from the scene came from the gun found just 20 feet from where Mr. Moore was apprehended. I defended Mr. Moore at the trial and, following the trial, on December 6, 2001, the jury returned a verdict of NOT GUILTY.
United States of America v. Terry Jenkins - NOT GUILTY
United States District Court Case # 3:05-cr-88-J-20TEM
On April 6, 2005, Mr. Jenkins was indicted by a federal grand jury for allegedly beating an inmate while working at the Bradford County jail as a prison guard on March 30, 2005. The government was represented by two seasoned Assistant United States Attorneys: one of whom flew in from the Department of Justice in Washington D.C. just for the trial. The case was investigated by FBI agents. At the trial, the government called the alleged victim to the stand, and he testified that late at night on March 30, 2005, he was taken from his cell to a room several hallways away. In that room, he testified that Officer Terry Jenkins threatened him, punched him repeatedly, and, when he fell to the ground, pummeled him with his fists and his boots. The government also offered the testimony from witnesses who worked for the FBI, indicating that the alleged victim had a black eye (they had a picture of the victim with a badly blackened eye) and that the victim's white T-shirt had a black substance smeared on it that was consistent with the shoe polish found on Mr Jenkins' work boots. The govermment also showed a series of videos showing Officer Jenkins remove the alleged victim from his cell and take him down the hall and into a room where there were no cameras. The government also called 6 of the inmates that were in the Bradford County jail that night, all of whom testified that they heard a man being horribly beaten. When the FBI works on a case, the Government rarely loses. In this case, however, we uncovered a witness who testified that the accusations against Mr. Jenkins were all part of a prison scam to make money by filing a lawsuit against Mr. Jenkins and the Bradford County jail. Sometimes, the FBI is on the wrong side, and they don't always "get their man." On July 14, 2005, after a 4 day trial, the jury found Mr. Jenkins NOT GUILTY.
State of Florida v. Ellis Crum - NOT GUILTY
Duval County Case #03-0003086 CF-A
The State of Florida brought Mr. Crum to trial on one count of Strong Armed Robbery. The allegations at trial were that Mr. Crum and two of his associates pulled up behind an elderly woman who was unloading a grocery cart into the trunk of her car. Mr. Crum allegedly approached the woman, pushed her into the trunk of her car, and ran off with her purse. The police eventually caught up to Mr. Crum's car, which had the victim's purse in it. Mr. Crum was arrested and taken back to the Publix parking lot where he was positively identified as the person who committed the Robbery by the victim and four bystanders who witnessed everything. I defended Mr. Crum at trial. The defendant took the stand in his own defense and testified that he did, in fact, steal the victim's purse, though he never touched or shoved the victim. Although the victim had never been arrested, and the defendant had two prior felony convictions, Mr. Fletcher persuaded the jury to believe his client over the victim, and to convict Mr. Crum of a petit theft, which Mr. Crum admitted while testifying. On July 16, 2003, the jury found Mr. Crum NOT GUILTY of Strong Armed Robbery.
State of Florida v. Donald Thomas - NOT GUILTY
Duval County Case #02-27097 MM-A
The State of Florida brought Mr. Thomas to trial on one count of Battery. The allegations at trial were that Mr. Thomas punched and knocked out his boss after his boss fired him. Mr. Thomas's boss had a black eye, a bloody and severed lip, and a gash in his tongue from the force of a punch to his chin. The State of Florida refused to make any offers to Mr. Thomas prior to the trial. I defended Mr. Thomas at trial. The defendant took the stand and testified that, after his boss fired him, he packed up his belongings and proceeded to the door. However, when he would not return the keys to a company car, his boss stood in the doorway and would not let him leave. Mr. Fletcher argued successfully that the defendant's boss had falsely imprisoned (a form of kidnapping) Mr. Thomas, who then had a right to use force to get his boss out of the way. Mr. Thomas did just that and found him NOT GUILTY.
State of Florida v. David Green - NOT GUILTY
Duval County Case # 16-2004-CF-7726, Division: CR-G
On July 1, 2004, a grand jury issued an indictment against David Green, charging him with one count of First Degree Murder and one count of Attempted First Degree Murder. At the trial, the state called witnesses to testify that David Green was involved in an ongoing dispute with the victim about money that was owed for a car. The State also called several witnesses to the stand to say that a young black male matching the description of David Green walked into the Family Dollar Store on Edgewood Avenue on May 20, 2004, at about 1 p.m, and stood behind the two victims for a couple of seconds. They then testified that he pulled out a handgun and shot both of them at point blank range. Just before one of the victim's died he whispered to one of the store clerk's that "David did it." The other victim, who had been shot in the face, lived and testified at the trial that he knew David Green and that it was David Green that came into the store and shot him in the face and killed his friend. The State also called one of Mr. Green's cellmates to the stand to testify that Mr. Green had told him all about the case and confessed to doing the shooting. On April 28, 2005, the jury found Mr. Green NOT GUILTY of First Degree Murder and NOT GUILTY of Attempted First Degree.
State of Florida v. Corey Bright - NOT GUILTY
Duval County Case # 2012-CF-011582
On April 4, 2013, Corey Bright was indicted for First Degree Murder. Mr. Bright was identified by multiple witnesses as one of four gunmen involved in a shooting that left a Jacksonville man dead. When Mr. Bright was arrested, he confessed to being involved in the shooting and to firing his gun. One of his co- defendants testified at the trial that he witnessed Corey Bright raise his gun and fire a shot at the victim as the victim was running away. The State called 14 witnesses in all. The defense called none. During the trial, I argued that the Judge give the jury the "Independent Act" jury instruction. During closing arguments to the jury, we argued that the death of the victim was a result of the "independent act" of one of the other gunmen because the State could not definitively establish that Mr. Bright's fired bullet caused the death of the victim. We also argued that the jury should disregard the state's "principal" theory and only convict Mr. Bright of a lesser included offense. On February 12, 2014, the jury agreed with me, finding Mr. Bright NOT GUILTY of First Degree Murder and only guilty of Aggravated Assault.
State of Florida v. Glendon Beene - NOT GUILTY
Duval County Case #02-11672 CF-A
The State of Florida brought Mr. Beene to trial for Attempted Second Degree Murder. The allegations against Mr. Beene were that, during an argument with his girlfriend, he poured a bottle of rubbing alcohol on her and then set her on fire. I defended Mr. Beene at the trial after more than a year of preparation. At the trial, the victim testified that Mr. Beene had poured the rubbing alcohol on her back, and when she turned around to confront him, he lit her on fire. Paramedics testified that when they arrived at the scene, the victims' skin was falling off all over the upper half of her body. The defendant took the stand in his own defense and testified that after an argument with the victim, she went into the bedroom and attempted to commit suicide by lighting herself on fire. On February 5, 2004, and after almost 17 months behind bars awaiting a trial, Mr. Beene was found NOT GUILTY by the jury.
State of Florida v. Reginald Richardson - NOT GUILTY
Duval County Case #16-2012-CF-002497, Division CR-C
In 2012 Mr. Richardson was working as a painter and carried a bucket of tools wherever he went. He returned home one evening to his apartment to find his girlfriend in an argument outside with a female neighbor. While trying to break up the argument, the other lady's boyfriend got involved and a fight between he and Mr. Richardson began. Mr. Richardson allegedly retrieved a 4 inch folding Buck knife and stabbed the boyfriend. At about the same time, the lady who was arguing with his girlfriend jumped on his back. Not knowing if she was armed or not, he instantly reacted by turning and stabbing her as well. The knife went into the lady's eye and literally was stuck, sticking straight out, because the tip of the knife was buried in the bones in the back of her eye socket. Mr. Richardson continued to fight with the lady's boyfriend and eventually chased him to an area where he fell between two cars. While laying on the ground the boyfriend was stabbed 4 more times in the back. Mr. Richardson was charged with Attempted Murder and Aggravated Battery. Multiple witnesses testified against Mr. Richardson at the trial. His girlfriend didn't even show up. Because Mr. Richardson used deadly force against non deadly force, the Court refused to instruct the jury on self- defense. With no defense witnesses and adverse trial Court rulings, we were hamstrung. However, the Jury found Mr. Richardson NOT GUILTY of Attempted First Degree Murder and only guilty of 1 Count of Aggravated Battery on the male victim. The jury found Mr. Richardson NOT GUILTY with respect to the female victim, even though the state had a picture of her with a knife sticking out of her eye. To this date, Mr. Richardson is still fighting his case.
State of Florida v. Glen Davis - NOT GUILTY
Duval County Case #16-2001-CF-014053
Mr. Davis was charged with sexual battery in 2000. The alleged victim said that Mr. Davis busted down the door to her trailer and forced her to give him oral sex. Upon arrival, evidence technicians found a substance on the alleged victim's kitchen floor that later tested positive for the presence of sperm. Mr. Davis was later arrested and his DNA was compared to the DNA from the sample taken from the kitchen floor. There was no real evidence of a break in as the trailer was old and in dis-repair. Mr. Davis claimed that he and the alleged victim engaged in a consensual sexual encounter. Mr. Davis had several felony convictions and the state chose to prosecute him in what was clearly a "he said she said" type of case. Despite his felony convictions, Mr. Davis testified at his own trial and on May 1, 2002, the jury found him NOT GUILTY.
United States of America v. Willie Neal - NOT GUILTY
In 2003 Mr. Neal was asked by a friend to go pick up a car parked in the parking garage next to the landing in downtown Jacksonville. Mr. Neal walked from the landing to the parking garage with a friend of his friend's whom he did not know. As it turned out, he was a federal agent investigating a group of guys in the drug trade. 2 Pounds of cocaine were found in a wrapped bag in the trunk of the car. The undercover agent wrote in the arrest affidavit of Mr. Neal that when they got to the car in the parking garage, Mr. Neal opened the trunk and showed the agent the package and said "all good?" Mr. Neal was then indicted and charged with conspiracy to sell two pounds of cocaine. Prior to the trial we contended that Mr. Neal didn't know what was in the trunk. After almost 4 months of litigation, the Government dropped the case.
State of Florida v. Todd Hurst - NOT GUILTY
Duval County Case #16-2004-CF-006271, Division CR-F
Mr. Hurst was charged with one count of sale of cocaine after allegedly handing two rocks of crack cocaine to a detective in exchange for a 20 dollar bill. Mr. Hurst was prosecuted in the Repeat Offender Court in Duval county and, as a habitual offender, was looking at 30 years in prison. During the trial, we effectively cross examined the detective who said the sun was in his eyes at approximately 5 pm as he was facing east. We pointed out that if your facing east at 5 pm the sun is behind you. It didn't go so well for the state after that. Ask me about it one day. The jury started deliberations at 5:10 pm and Mr. Hurst was found NOT GUILTY at 5:40 pm.
State of Florida v. Geogre Vanhorn - NOT GUILTY
Duval County Case# 16-1999-CF-009490
Mr. Vanhorn was arrested for capital sexual battery on August 6, 1999, and plead guilty less than 60 days later, accepting a 10 year prison sentence followed by 10 years of sexual offender probation. In 2002, we had Mr. Vanhorn brought back from prison to prosecute his 3.850 Motion for Post Conviction Relief. Our contention: his attorney did not effectively investigate his case and asked him to plea guilty after just 60 days. On December 5, 2002, we had an evidentiary hearing, where I cross examined his prior defense counsel about his investigation. After the hearing, the Court threw out the plea agreement and a few weeks later the State of Florida dropped the case.
State of Florida v. John Whittington - NOT GUILTY
Duval County Case# 16-1999-CF-009490
Mr. Whittington was accused of inappropriately touching his 4 year old daughter. When the police interviewed Mr. Whittington's two younger sisters, they both said they thought it crazy that he would be accused of touching his own daughter, but that each of them had been repeatedly raped by him as they were growing up in the late 1970's. The state eventually charged Mr. Whittington with 3 Counts of sexual battery and 1 count of Lewd and Lascivious Behavior, for conduct that spanned almost 34 years. Rather than face 4 separate trials, we asked the Court to trial all four cases at once. We discovered, during our investigation, that one of Mr. Whittington's sisters sold the Whittington home without giving any of the money to Mr. Whittington, and we believed that the allegations were contrived to "get rid of him". The State of Florida brought Mr. Whittington to trial and on June 17, 2004, the jury found Mr. Whittington NOT GUILTY on all 4 counts.
State of Florida v. JH Hardy - NOT GUILTY
St. John's County Case # 55-2012-CF-002006
In January of 2015, Mr. Hardy was sentenced to 40 years as a habitual offender after being convicted at trial for the offense of Trafficking in Hydrocodone. After 6 years of fighting his case on appeal, we were set for an evidentiary hearing on his 3.850 Motion for Post Conviction Relief. Just before the hearing, on January 27, 2021, we persuaded the state to enter into an agreement to reduce his sentence from 40 years to 10 years. Mr. Hardy starts work release in 2022 and will soon thereafter be a free man.
State of Florida v. Daniel Taylor - NOT GUILTY
Duval County Case# 01-31697 MMA, Division B
The State of Florida brought Mr. Taylor to trial on one count of Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol. The arresting officer testified at trial that, among other things, (1) Mr. Taylor had a moderate odor of alcohol on his breath, (2) he was unsteady on his feet, (3) he had a flushed face, watery bloodshot eyes and slurred speech, and (4) he swayed and lost his balance during the field sobriety exercises. Mr. Taylor refused to submit to a breath test and the State argued that the refusal was evidence of Mr. Taylor's own consciousness of guilt. On October 1, 2001, the jury returned a verdict of NOT GUILTY.
State of Florida v. Natera Hill - NOT GUILTY
Duval County Case# 16-2021-CF-009945
On October17, 2021, Ms. Hill was at a restaurant with a couple of friends when an argument broke out between Ms. Hill's friends and several women her friends knew, but Ms. Hill did not. The argument escalated into a fight when one of Hill's friends struck one of the women. Ms. Hill was not involved in the fight but she did attempt to pull one of her friends away from the melee. One of the women grabbed Ms. Hill by her hair and slung her to the ground, and then stood over preparing to engage in more violence. Ms. Hill lost her glasses when she was thrown to the ground and she cannot see without them. Ms. Hill has a concealed weapons permit, and at this point she drew her legally owned firearm from her purse. She pointed it at her attacker and instructed the attacker to back off. She did not fire the gun or "rack" it. Several days later, Ms. Hill was arrested and charged with felony Aggravated Assault with a deadly weapon. We filed a motion for statutory immunity from prosecution under Florida's "Stand Your Ground* law, and argued that Ms. Hill was immune from prosecution because she had a right to use defensive force to protect herself from further attack. She was not involved in illegal activity and was in a place where she had a right to be. On April 5, 2022, the State of Florida dropped all charges against Ms. Hill.