From Accused to Acquitted: A Small Town Victory

Obtained an acquittal for a young man charged with premeditated first-degree murder and aggravated assault with a firearm in Broward County. Prosecutors argued that the client chased and shot a young man in the parking lot of a club after several altercations earlier in the evening between different groups of people, including one where prosecutors argued that the client had pointed a gun at another young man. The three-week trial featured 46 witnesses, including witnesses who were at the scene during the shooting, numerous police officers, as well as expert witnesses in firearms, DNA and forensic pathology.

Mr. Beaton argued that the evidence showed the shooting was in self-defense and that, among other things, the client had not chased the young man who was shot, that instead the young man was pursuing the client when the fatal shot was fired, that the client had been beaten by the young man, and that there appeared to be more than one person involved in the attack on the client . After less than a full day of deliberations, the jury acquitted the client of all charges.