CEDAR RAPIDS – There’s no doubt Jerome Power left an impression with the jury Monday after pouring water on his lawyer’s head, but it may not give him the results he’s hoping. Robert Rigg, Drake Law School professor, said it likely left a “negative” view of Power with the jury. “Clients will sometimes act out [...]

CEDAR RAPIDS — The 39 people in Iowa prisons, who were convicted as juveniles and are serving life sentence, can now argue parole following a Supreme Court ruling on Monday. In Iowa, anybody can argue for a different sentence at any time, Assistant Attorney General Kevin Cmelik said Tuesday. The next issue is what is the [...]

Claiming intoxication as a defense is a tough sell to a jury or a judge, and defense attorneys say the key is prove the person was so intoxicated that he/she couldn’t intentionally make the decision to commit the crime. Keith Elson, Jr. 56, of Cedar Rapids, charged with first-degree kidnapping, claimed intoxication as his defense [...]

Mistrials — like the one granted this week in Johnson County District Court — are uncommon, and mistrials based on errors by the prosecution are even less common. The mistrial was declared this week in the first-degree murder case of Charles Thompson, 19, of Iowa City. Thompson will stand trial again Dec. 5, which begs [...]