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Houston Capital Murder Defense

We pride ourselves on helping to free the innocent by assisting counsel.

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Attorneys who defend clients charged with Capital Murder must meet a high standard of experience and competency in order to be appointed to represent someone charged with the most serious offense in the Texas Penal Code.

Consequences of Conviction: Dire

If a person is found guilty of Capital Murder they can only be given Life without parole or the Death Penalty. The prosecuting attorney can seek the Death Penalty or try the Defendant with the Death Penalty taken off the table, leaving only Life without parole as a penalty if the Defendant is convicted.

Capital Murder Investigations are Complex

Generally speaking, Capital cases can be very complicated. Many times, there is a “confession” from the Defendant. Co-Defendants posture themselves to testify to enhance the State’s case against the most egregious party in the offense in order to obtain a lesser sentence. Cases usually involve identification of suspects by witnesses, physical evidence left at the scene, reliable or conjectured motives, alibi witnesses, mistaken identity, legitimacy of the State’s evidence evaluation and a number of other factors.

The “Exhausting Defense” Mandate

The American Bar Association guidelines mandate that attorneys representing defendants charged with Capital Murder provide an exhausting defense. A competent Criminal Defense attorney must possess the ability to analyze the State’s case, be able to engage in a professional dialogue with the Prosecutors, and be a savvy trial lawyer.

Why Private Investigators Get Involved

In order for a defense attorney to defend his client properly they rely on a separate investigation conducted on the Defendant’s behalf by trained professional Private Investigators. The Investigators perform numerous tasks during the lengthy process which ensues before the case is disposed. The Investigators must have the ability to gain the Defendant’s trust and elicit truthful information that will assist the Defendant’s defense.

Gradoni & Associates - Private Eyes of HoustonInvestigators must conduct background investigations on all of the State’s witnesses along with engaging those witnesses in an interview to evaluate what they told the police investigators regarding their observations.

After the contact with the witness the investigators provide an evaluation of the witnesses credibility for the defense attorney(s) representing the defendant. Investigators also develop alibi witnesses when applicable and canvass crime scene areas to identify the witnesses the police missed, or talked to, but did not document in their reports.

A Defense Attorney cannot adequately represent his client, or provide an “exhausting defense” without this assistance. In the opinion of Gradoni & Associates, a team of Investigators with law enforcement experience and diverse backgrounds would be the logical choice to perform the investigative effort.

Experience Counts!

Gradoni & Associates has been involved in over 450 Capital Murder cases during our 24 years of service to Criminal Defense Attorneys.

Our Newsletter

Houston Capital Murder Investigation Results

Below are random entries from our various newsletters which are related to capital murder investigations.

Closed Murder Investigation Cases

Recent Posts

  • Licensed Houston Private InvestigatorsConvicted Murderers “High-Five” 45Y Verdict
    CAPITAL MURDER: FAVORABLE OUTCOME Attorney Robert Loper and Attorney John P. “Casey” Keirnan represented two defendants who had been charged with two separate Capital Murders. The first case had been dismissed by the Judge at trial as noted in our previous newsletter. The second case came to trial recently. The case involved fighting
  • Swearingen Case: Forensic Testing Creates Doubts
    Attorney James Rytting and Attorney Phillip Hilder represented James Swearingen in a highly publicized Montgomery County Capital Murder. Forensic Test Casts Doubts on Murder Allegation Based on forensic tests not done at the time of trial, a valid question was raised about how long the victim had been dead before the body was found. The
  • Licensed Houston Private InvestigatorsThe “Good Samaritan” Murder Investigation
    Houston, TX based Attorney Gerald Bourque represented one of three Co-Defendants who were accused of busting in the door to the Defendant’s girlfriend’s apartment and subsequently stabbing to death one of the three armed good Samaritans who responded. Gradoni & Associates Investigate The Defendant was in jail for three years awaiting a
  • Licensed Houston Private InvestigatorsThe Bellville Family Murders
    Houston Attorney Katherine Scardino & Attorney James Rivera represented Maron Thomas charged with killing five family members at their residence in Bellville. Thomas was originally deemed insane and sent to the State Hospital. After a few months of treatment in the form of medication, Thomas was sent back for Trial. The District Attorney’s
  • Private Investigators of TexasConfessed Thief Accused of iMurder
    Attorney Robert “Bob” Loper represented an individual who was charged with the beating death of a fellow resident at an apart­ment complex, in which the victim’s iPhone was taken. The State had an 8 year old juvenile witness who claimed he observed the defendant strike the victim. The defendant claimed from the be­ginning that
  • The Capital Murder by Fire Investigation
    Houston, TX based attorney Skip Cornelius represented a defendant who was charged with causing a fire that resulted in his brother’s death. The defendant had previously been sent to prison for murder, having burned the victim to death. Gradoni Detectives Establish Reasonable Doubt Investigators interviewed a number of family members who were
  • Licensed Houston Private InvestigatorsThe “Kingpin Bums Ride to Hit” Investigation
    Attorney John P. “Casey” Keirnan represented a defendant charged along with 3 other defendants with Capital Murder. The State alleged that the head of a local dope ring wanted to have an individual who provided information to the police killed. This individual recruited and paid a facilitator to take care of the hit. The facilitator
  • Licensed Houston Private InvestigatorsThe “With the Wrong Crowd” Murders
    Attorney Gary Polland represented one of five juveniles charged Capital Murder for entering a home and killing one of the homeowner’s sons during the Robbery attempt. Private Detective Klein Investigates The Murder Investigator Cindy Klein interviewed a number of the defendant’s teachers and relatives, determining that he was a pretty good
  • Private Investigators of TexasThe Case of the Nightclub Gangland Killing
    Attorney Skip Cornelius represented a young defendant who was charged, with another defendant, with the shooting death of a rival gang member at a club in Houston, TX. Gradoni & Associates Investigates We were able to identify and interview two wit­nesses who stated that the defendant was with them at the club when the shots
  • Licensed Houston Private InvestigatorsThe Weed Killing Investigation
    Attorney Skip Cornelius represented a Defendant who was charged with Capital Murder for attempting to rob a dope dealer during a transaction, which resulted in the shooting death of the dope dealer’s associate. Our Defendant admittedly sold small quantities of weed from his apartment, using the State’s star witness as his source. The source
  • Licensed Houston Private InvestigatorsThe Case of The Murdered Pasadena PD Officer
    Attorney Katherine Scardino represented the individual charged with killing a Pasadena, TX Policeman the day after he was released from the Harris County Jail. The Officer responded to a domestic disturbance at the defendant’s mother’s house when he was shot on the porch. Katherine and Co-Counsel, Kelly Case reached an agreement with the State
  • Gradoni and Associates - Private Eyes of TexasThe Case of the Wheelchair Bound Murder
    Attorney Gerald Bourque represented Arnoldo Torres, who was charged, along with two Co-Defendants, with a non-death Capital Murder case. The State alleged that Torres and two other males, who were illegally in the country from Mexico, went to one of Torres’ neighbors’ apartment in order to rob him. Allegedly, the three entered the apartment
  • Licensed Houston Private InvestigatorsGang-Banging Capital Murder Charges Dismissed
    Attorney Bob Loper and Attorney Casey Kiernan represented 2 males charged with a gang related shooting death. Gradoni Detectives Investigate the Murder Benito Segura conducted a number of interviews with Spanish speaking witnesses with knowledge of the Players and circumstances allowing us to pursue the self-defense issue. During the initial
  • A Life Sentence Beats Death
    Attorneys Attorney Robert Loper & Attorney Jerald Graber represented a Defendant charged with killing a store owner during the course of the robbery. The store cameras clearly identified the Defendant on the tapes. Defendant Found Guilty The Defendant who was found guilty without much deliberation, also had an extraneous murder brought up in
  • Licensed Houston Private InvestigatorsThe “They Didn’t Have a Case” Capital Murder
    Well known and respected Houston, TX based Attorney Skip Cornelius represented a defendant charged with the shooting death of an individual who was riding in a car stopped at a median. Gradoni Investigates Benito Segura interviewed all of the State’s witnesses and could find no one who could identify the defendant’s involvement or even place

Client References

Over the years we’ve had the privilege of working with the lawyers listed below on capital murder and other criminal justice cases.

  • Michael Ramsey
  • Stanley Schneider
  • George Tyson
  • Katherine Scardino
  • Jimmy Phillips
  • Richard “Racehorse” Haynes
  • Philip Hilder
  • Robert Fickman
  • Wendell Odom
  • George Parnham
  • Gerald Bourque
  • Skip Cornelius
  • L.T. “Butch” Bradt
  • Robert Loper
  • Loretta Muldrow
  • Robert Scardino
  • Casey Kiernan
  • Joseph Salhab
  • Danny Easterling
  • Robert Morrow
  • Kyle Johnson
  • Lydia Clay-Jackson
  • Roberto Hinojosa
  • James Rytting
  • Laine Lindsey
  • Wayne Hill
  • Jerald Graber
  • Thomas Martin
  • Pat McCann
  • Stephen Jackson
  • Tom Moran
  • Stephen Doggett
  • Kurt Wentz

Contact Us

Please use the information below to reach us, or send us a written message.

GRADONI & ASSOCIATES

2611 Cypress Creek Parkway #C100
Houston, TX 77068
MAP TO OFFICE
Toll Free: 800-803-9186
Local: 281-440-0800 • Fax: 281-440-0208

THE TRUTH MAKES A DIFFERENCE

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