In November 2021, a 15-year-old child brought a gun into school; he killed four students and injured another seven. He pled guilty to 24 criminal charges including first-degree murder and terrorism. His name is Ethan Crumbley, and he admitted to killing those other children. Jennifer Crumbley is his mother. She didn’t shoot anyone, but a jury found her guilty today of involuntary manslaughter – a verdict that is likely to set an entirely new precedent [...]

Artificial intelligence (AI) is being used for many different reasons – many exciting and many terrifying. One use of AI is to recognize a person’s face. The core ideas are that software developers: Design programs that start with a current face, such as the face a person presents to a security system or a face that has been identified by law enforcement. Create and access a database of facial images from many different sources. Program [...]

In Maryland, a judge may order that a defendant who is charged with a DUI (driving under the influence), a DWI (driving while intoxicated), or another alcohol/drug-related offense undergo a substance abuse evaluation. This evaluation is used to evaluate if the defendant has a substance abuse disorder and what treatment plan should be ordered depending on the result of the criminal charges. Generally, the substance evaluation must be completed before the defendant is sentenced. In [...]

The Maryland Child Interrogation Protection Act went into effect on October 1, 2022. According to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the Act protects children/juveniles in several ways: There is a requirement that the child be able to consult with a lawyer when he/she is taken into custody unless there is a public safety emergency. The parents or guardians of the child must be notified that their child is in custody. The law creates a [...]

The world of virtual reality may be moving too fast. Most people understand that when they play a virtual game, that the characters aren’t really hurt or killed. You can just end the game and start playing a new one. It’s like the old Road Runner cartoons where Wile E. Coyote always ends up being crushed by some product that failed, though everyone knows he’s not a real character and he’ll be fully healed by [...]

The results of a breathalyzer test can affect what criminal charges are filed against you and can affect your driving privileges. In most drunk driving cases, the breathalyzer test is the key evidence against a driver. If the results of the breathalyzer test can be excluded, many defendants can walk away from the charges and the charges will be dismissed. If the results are admitted, we can work to explain negative results, but those explanations [...]