As a result, James Sullivan
has been successful at trial in what others term “hopeless” cases. In
his very first felony jury trial in April 1997 in the 209th District
Court, Sullivan represented a 21 year old black man accused of killing a
young white man in a head-on car accident on Eldridge Parkway in
northwest Houston. I mention their race because it was a much different world back then. The decedent attended Texas A&M and belonged to a
wealthy family. A large group of white male retirees from the
victim’s rights organization Justice for All attended every court
setting. A successful black prosecutor, who later became an Assistant U.S. Attorney (federal prosecutor), handled the prosecution.
If you need a defense attorney, call James Sullivan at 281-546-6428 for a free consultation.
The accused allegedly had cocaine in his system, was driving over the
speed limit in the rain, on the wrong side of the road and with “bald”
tires. The force of the impact caused the engine from one of the cars
to be ejected and thrown about 50 feet from the car. Unfortunately,
the late model Corvette the decedent was driving did not have an air
bag, and the driver was killed instantly when his head hit the steering
wheel.
The accused insisted that he did not do drugs and that it was just an
accident that resulted in the death of the decedent. Even so, if the
State had offered him probation, he said he would take it so that he
could continue to work to support his family. Because the State only
offered prison time, five years at TDC, the accused chose to go to
trial. Other attorneys, including the original attorney appointed to
represent him, predicted a guilty verdict and 10 years in prison, the
maximum prison sentence available.
The accused denied using drugs and testified he was on his way to work
for a local service station. The accused had auto insurance. Sullivan
hired a drug toxicologist expert who conducted his own lab tests and
who questioned the validity of the blood tests conducted by the Houston
Police Lab. Photographs that crime scene investigators took of his
client’s tires (and which the prosecutor hid until the day of trial)
reflected that they had sufficient tread and the inspection sticker was
current on his car. The defendant’s stepfather, a local mechanic,
testified as to the tire tread. Due to the heavy rain, the client’s
car hydroplaned across lanes and struck the decedent’s car head on. On
cross examination, a State’s eyewitness testified the accused was only
going 5-10 miles above the speed limit. The accused and his wife
testified that he did not use drugs.
Right before closing arguments, the large courtroom in the former
criminal courthouse (now the Harris County Juvenile Justice Center)
filled up with high school students who were visiting the courthouse
that day. No pressure. To be guilty of negligent homicide, Sullivan
argued to the jury, requires gross negligence and not simple
negligence. What happened to the accused could have happened to any of
us–an unforeseeable accident tragically claims the life of a young
man. A tragedy yes, a crime no. The case belonged in the civil
courthouse, not the criminal. After about 10 minutes of deliberation,
the jury returned a not guilty verdict.
Houston Criminal Lawyer James Sullivan
went on to win acquittals and dismissals in many other serious felony
criminal and juvenile cases. As a Catholic, Sullivan strives to be
affordable to most people and counsels his clients to get on a better
path. In fact, many of his clients have overcome their difficulties in
life and become successful in their chosen endeavors. Sullivan may not
see the end results and how the lives of his many exonerated clients
unfold, but he strives to do well for all of his clients and get the
best results possible. If you need a defense attorney, call James Sullivan at 281-546-6428 for a free consultation.
As one of the late, great religious leaders who courageously struggled
and died for social justice and in whom James Sullivan was greatly
inspired once said,
We cannot do everything, and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that. This enables us to do something, and to do it very well… We may never see the end results, but that is the difference between the Master Builder and the worker. ~Archbishop Oscar Romero (1917-1980)
Oscar Arnulfo Romero y Goldámez was Archbishop of the Catholic Church in San Salvador, El Salvador. In the late 1970s and 1980s, a civil war waged. In all, at least
75,000 – 80,000 Salvadorans would be slaughtered; 300,000 would
disappear and never be seen again; a million would flee their homeland;
and an additional million would become homeless fugitives, constantly
fleeing the military and police. All of this occurred in a nation of
only 5.5 million people.
On March 24, 1980, while performing a funeral mass in the Chapel of
Divine Providence Hospital, Archbishop Oscar Romero was shot to death
by a paid assassin. Only moments before his death, he had reminded the
mourners of the parable of wheat. His prophetic words:
Those who surrender to the service of the poor through love of Christ will live like the grain of wheat that dies… The harvest comes because of the grain that dies… We know that every effort to improve society, above all when society is so full of injustice and sin, is an effort that God blesses, that God wants, that God demands of us.
In the summer 1988, at age 20, James Sullivan traveled with a Christian
organization to the war zone areas of northern Nicaragua to offer
support to poor refugee families. Although Americans in Nicaragua were
not targeted by the contras, the refugee camp which Sullivan visited
was frequently attacked by the contras. The camp was about 50
kilometers south of the Honduran border in the corridor which the
contras used to invade the country.
After graduating from Baylor University
in May 1990, James Sullivan lived in Mexico City and traveled throughout
the country. His experiences in seeing the horrific suffering in
Nicaragua and the social injustice in Mexico and elsewhere were just a
few of his significant life experiences which led to his becoming a
defense attorney and his strong passion in representing the accused,
especially juveniles who he has been able to guide onto a better path
and a successful life.
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HOUSTON, TEXAS & HARRIS COUNTY CRIMINAL LAWYERS
Serving Houston, Cypress, Sugar Land, Clear Lake, Pasadena, La Porte, Missouri City, Friendswood, Richmond, Hempstead, Humble, Tomball, Bellaire, Deer Park, Katy and other communities in Harris County, Fort Bend County, and Waller County.
Our Houston criminal lawyers defend clients charged with crimes in district courts and county criminal courts, including domestic violence (assault of a family member), drug possession or drug delivery, violent crimes, and juvenile delinquency.