Body of Proof: Tainted Evidence In The Murder Of Jessica O'Grady? by John Ferak

Author:John Ferak
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub, azw3
Publisher: WildBlue Press
Published: 2015-07-10T23:00:00+00:00

The pruning shears were a prime example of the kinds of unorthodox bloody clues that emerged with regularity from the Douglas County CSI lab during the period when Kofoed was planting blood. A tiny speck of Jessica’s blood ultimately showed up on one wooden handle, yet none was present on the blades. This object was retrieved from the cluttered backseat of Edwards.

Chapter 14

In the American criminal justice system, every defendant deserves to be represented in the courtroom by a competent, professional lawyer. Defendants of all shapes and sizes have a right to due process as guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution.

At the end of the day, Christopher Edwards’s parents agreed to retain a seasoned and experienced criminal defense lawyer by way of referral. Attorney Steve Lefler had worked with Matt Higgins, the Omaha divorce attorney who did legal work for Bob Edwards, the suspect’s dad. However, Higgins knew he was out of his league when Chris Edwards was charged with murder. Higgins did not have expertise handling defense work in high-profile murder court cases.

After exchanging pleasantries, Lefler recalled how he and his new clients got off to an amicable start. Even though the parents were divorced, they both united and rallied on behalf on their son, who was in a perilous ordeal. The second-degree murder count carried a possible maximum of life imprisonment, and a minimum penalty of twenty years incarceration.

“They were one of the nicest families I’ve ever worked with,” Lefler recalled. “The love they had for their child … I can’t say enough good things about the Edwards family.”

Since the family was shelling out thousands of dollars to retain Lefler, they expected him to vigorously defend their son on second-degree murder charges. They desperately hoped he would poke holes in the prosecution’s case.

Heading into the trial, Lefler believed he had a strong chance to prevail. A not-guilty verdict for his client was achievable. No medical doctor was willing to step forward to testify that Jessica O’Grady was dead just based on the photos of the blood-saturated mattress taken by the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, Lefler noted.

“I still think there has to be medical proof,” Lefler explained. “In this case with no body, the state government could not present any testimony that the amount of blood on the mattress of that room necessarily resulted in death. No doctor would go there. It would have been different, had there been brains blown out, and there been pieces of brain matter scattered around on the floor, but there was none of that.”

As the weeks rolled along, the well-known Omaha criminal defense lawyer immersed himself in the case. The case consumed his time.

“I dedicated my life to this case,” Lefler said. “I would get up at 6 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays and go into the office to work on it. And for several months before the trial, I even stopped taking on new cases. I read over the reports. I consulted with many experts. I was just very prepared for this particular case.

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