State v. TC

TC was out at a bar with some friends. Around bar close, he was in the driver’s seat of a vehicle. His front seat passenger unexpectedly pulled out a gun and shot a person standing next to the vehicle. He then told TC to drive away. In the following days, the shooter repeatedly threatened TC. He made it clear that if TC spoke to police, he would be in danger. As a result, TC provided a false statement to police about the events on the night of the shooting.

The prosecutor charged TC with Aiding and Abetting Second Degree Murder. TC’s family contacted London Defense and retained us to fight this unjust charge. The prosecution was seeking a sentence of 14 years in prison. After speaking with TC and reviewing the evidence we notified the Court and the prosecutor that we intended to argue TC acted under Duress. Duress is a complete affirmative defense in the state of Minnesota. We retained the services of an investigator and conducted our own investigation.

Ultimately, the information that came to light made it crystal clear that TC acted under duress. He was threatened by a dangerous person who he watched kill someone at point blank range. After TC had sat in jail for several months awaiting trial, the prosecution finally relented. They dismissed the charges of Aiding and Abetting Second Degree Murder. TC entered a plea to obstructing the investigation and was released with credit for time served.