Criminal Charge: Assault with a Deadly Weapon
Case: State v. Duncan Gordon
Court: [Cause F12-61468][Dallas]
Result: Release from Jail Pending Dismissal on Appeal
Duncan reached out to Haslam and luminary Texas appellate lawyer Michael Mowla after being sentenced to five years in prison for using…the ground to kill a man who assaulted him in a Dallas gas station lot. His trial lawyer led him on a years-long road of poor communication ending with incomplete advice about the terms of the five year sentence. He even waived his right to appeal. He immediately went to jail awaiting transport to prison.
Haslam filed motions and scheduled a hearing to have Duncan released pending the appeal that Mowla would ultimately urge and win. After hearing Haslam examine the Dallas County Jail Medical Director on certain jail conditions that threatened Duncan’s life and the bail bondsman testify that Duncan’s trial lawyer repeatedly failed to keep Duncan aware of court dates, the trial judge released Duncan from jail while Mowla pursued his successful appeal. As per usual, that appeal took more than a year to conclude – a year Duncan spent at home rather than in jail.