Drive by Shooting / Drug Charges

Recently, Mr. Borrelli represented a client charged in two cases.  In the first case, the man was charged with Drive by Shooting, a class 2 dangerous felony, multiple counts of Aggravated Assault, a class 3 dangerous felony, and various lesser related charges.  For this case he was facing a mandatory 7 to 21 years in prison.  In the second case, the man was charged with Possession of Dangerous Drugs, a class 4 felony and Possession of Marijuana, a class 6 felony.  Mr. Borrelli worked on these matters for four months, collecting discovery, interviewing officer's and witnesses, and otherwise investigating the allegations - preparing for trial.  In the end, Mr. Borrelli was able to present enough evidence supporting his client's self defense claim that the prosecutor dismissed all charges prior to the start of trial.  Mr. Borrelli was further able to secure a dismissal in the drug case due to problems with the State's evidence.     

Second Degree Murder

In a two week trial, Mr. Borrelli and another attorney represented a man accused of second degree murder. Thier client lived in a home with his mother and aunt. The night of the incident, his aunt was stabbed multiple times and killed in her bedroom. When the police arrived on the scene, he and his mother were both sitting on the couch covered in blood and the front door was wide open. The police assumed thier client had done it. The police also claimed that he made some incriminating statements that he would burn in hell for this, etc. However, the police did a poor job in evidence collection, preservation and testing. They did very little DNA or fingerprint testing, even though the knife was found in the kitchen sink and there was blood covering almost everthing in the bedroom. The Defense showed that the police should have done a much more thorough job and should have produced more evidence. They were unable to produce any physical evidence showing that the client was more likely the one who did it than his mother or a third party who may have left through the open door. After a day and a half of deliberation, the jury found the defendant not guilty. At the time he was released he had been held for two years awaiting trial. He stepped outside for the first time since he was arrested the morning after the verdict came back.

Mr. Borrelli represented a man accused of an Aggravated DUI, facing ten to twelve years in prison. He was stopped by an officer for driving with his high beams on. The officer’s report said that the officer was sitting in the entrance to a convenience store off of the road Mr. Borrelli's client was driving on. With no other cars on the road this was not a valid reason for the stop. On the stand, the officer testified there were other cars and my client was speeding. This was not in his report. Mr. Borrelli was able to show that the officer was not telling the truth. As a result, the judge suppressed the evidence and the case was dismissed.

Aggravated Assault

Mr. Borrelli represented a client who was charged with aggravated assault on a police officer. The apartment next to his was raided by the DEA. Officers wearing full body armor with assault weapons rushed into the place, past the client's front door. He opened the door to find out what was happening. A DEA agent then pointed his gun at the client and struck him knocking him 10 feet across his living room. After the raid, he attempted to file a complaint with a supervising officer. In doing so he demonstrated what had been done to him by lightly pushing the officer in the chest. The client was then arrested for Agg. Assault. After conducting discovery and interviews with the officers, Mr. Borrelli was able to convince the prosecuting attorney that he did not have a strong case. The prosecutor then offered a misdemeanor plea. Talking to his client, Mr. Borrelli and the client decided to continue with trial. This forced the prosecutor to dismiss the case the day before trial.

Theft of Means of Transportation / Trafficking

Mr. Borrelli's client was charged with Theft of Means of Transportation and Trafficking, both Class 3 felonies.  He was alleged to have been a part of a stolen car ring.  An informant for the police gave the client's name and he looked similar to the person who actually was guilty.  This complicated the case because the only video evidence was too blurry to tell the two men apart.  Mr. Borrelli was able to uncover enough evidence to convince the prosecuting attorney that they might have the wrong person.  Subsequently, the prosecutor and Mr. Borrelli were able to work together to clear his client of the charges and determine who actually committed the crime.  

Aggravated Domestic Violence

Mr. Borrelli's client was charged with Aggravated Domestic Violence, a class 5 felony.  He was alleged to have assaulted his wife after she had obtained an order of protection against him.  In preparing this case, Mr. Borrelli discovered that the wife had obtained the order of protection after a simple argument and no prior history of violence occurred.  It was also uncovered that Mr. Borrelli's client grabbed his wife to protect her not harm her (she was attempting to drive while she was in an unsafe condition) and she began beating on him.  Additionally, Mr. Borrelli was able to interview the one witness to the incident at the scene of the alleged crime and go through the events with her.  He was able to show that she was not credible as she could not have seen what she believed she saw that day.  This case was dismissed by the prosecutor the day before trial was to begin.