September 2010

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Mistaken identities: ID confusion keeps immigrant in jail for 5 months on murder charge
Freeing an Innocent Man: "It Takes a Team"

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Greetings!

We bring you confidence through information.

Our job is to provide you the information you need. Whether it's through our investigative services or through our informative newsletters, we want you to have the latest and most current information. In this edition, we have addressed two subjects: A news article about the mistaken identity of an innocent man who was falsely accused of murder and how our team of experienced and professional investigators found the evidence that freed him.

We want to write about topics that you can use in your day-to-day practice. Please e-mail us your topics of interest at [email protected].

We encourage you to share our e-newsletter with others in your sphere of influence.

Sincerely,
Your Team at Complete Legal Investigations

Mistaken identities: ID confusion keeps immigrant in jail for 5 months on murder charge

By John Lantigua and Susan Spencer-Wendel
Palm Beach Post Staff Writers
Updated: 12:21 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 3, 2010
Posted: 10:00 p.m. Monday, Aug. 2, 2010

Police are seeking 25-year-old Julio Gomez for first-degree murder in the death of a 17-year-old snitch who ratted out his cocaine-dealing friends. Gomez and others are accused of nearly decapitating Maciel Martin Videla and leaving him to die.

For the heinous crime - Videla's body was found dumped in a Belle Glade canal in December 2008 - Gomez and the others face a possible death penalty. Clearly a serious situation. Just ask another 25-year-old Julio Gomez who spent more than five months jailed, wrongly accused of the crime. Prosecutors recently dropped the first-degree murder charge against him, acknowledging police arrested the wrong Julio Gomez.
That jaw-dropping admission came after the wrong Gomez's defense team - veteran criminal defense attorney ... Read More

Freeing an Innocent Man: "It Takes a Team"

The exoneration of Julio Gomez, a Mexican national charged with murder and facing a potential death sentence, required a team effort. As outlined in the accompanying article from The Palm Beach Post, "Mistaken Identities," Julio Gomez was charged with a gruesome homicide based on a bad identification from a cooperating witness.

Under the supervision of Fred Susaneck and John Riordan, attorneys appointed to represent Gomez, Complete Legal Investigations, Inc. undertook the daunting task of gathering work records, interviewing witnesses, and assembling evidence to establish the mistaken identification. The defense investigation began in late April 2010.

Mark Murnan is a veteran criminal defense investigator and certified legal investigator, who coordinated the investigation. Wendy Murnan is a licensed private investigator and certified paralegal.  Wendy began contacting Gomez' employers and medical providers to obtain work documents and medical records. Wendy also began gathering records to establish the identity of the real suspect.  Nina Martinez, an experienced bilingual investigator with legal training from her native Venezuela, conducted numerous interviews with Gomez' co-workers and relatives. Support staff organized the numerous documents and answered calls, many from Gomez' friends and relatives, who were concerned about the progress of the case and the future of Gomez.
"It would have been impossible for a  ... Read More

About Us
At Complete Legal Investigations, Inc., we help our clients eliminate uncertainty by understanding the issues confronting them. We conduct interviews, research, and forensic analysis to clarify disputed facts and identify potential solutions.

Complete Legal Investigations, Inc. is comprised of talented and experienced investigators and researchers with over 80 years' combined experience in the legal system. Our staff is bilingual and comprised of former federal and state investigators, Certified Legal Investigators (CLI�), Certified Fraud Examiners (CFE�), and a Certified and Florida Registered Paralegal (CP�). Working as a team, we provide an adjunct staff that works cooperatively with your law firm or business, so that you can offer your client the very best legal representation.  Learn more

 
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