On behalf of The Law Office of Jessica Koester, LLC | Aug 26, 2016 | Criminal Defense
An Illinois resident who knowingly helps or encourages another person to commit a crime may be an accomplice. However, this is generally only true if the individual knows what he or she is doing is wrong and has an intent to aid in the commission of a crime. There are...
On behalf of The Law Office of Jessica Koester, LLC | Jul 28, 2016 | Criminal Defense
Anyone, including Illinois residents, who becomes a defendant in the United States’ criminal judicial system is entitled to adequate legal representation. Defendants must be provided with adequate counsel whether they are able to pay for it or not. It is a...
On behalf of The Law Office of Jessica Koester, LLC | Jul 14, 2016 | Criminal Defense
It can be frightening for a person to be charged with committing a sexual assault in Illinois. The potential consequences if a person is convicted of such offense may be very severe. Fortunately, there are a number of defenses that may be raised against sexual assault...
On behalf of The Law Office of Jessica Koester, LLC | Jun 16, 2016 | Criminal Defense
In Illinois criminal courts, a concept called mens rea may play a role in how a case is decided. The terms is Latin for guilty mind and tries to differentiate between crimes committed intentionally and acts that inadvertently led to a crime being committed. For...
On behalf of The Law Office of Jessica Koester, LLC | Feb 12, 2016 | Criminal Defense
According to a report from the National Registry of Exonerations, there were 149 people released from incarceration in 2015 after spending 15 years in prison on average for crimes that they did not do. This is a record number of exonerations, and many people in...
On behalf of The Law Office of Jessica Koester, LLC | Jan 28, 2016 | Criminal Defense
When people are suspected of committing a serious crime, police will sometimes interrogate them in the hopes of getting them to confess. A major problem with this is that some people will end up falsely confessing even though they are innocent. False confessions may...
On behalf of The Law Office of Jessica Koester, LLC | Jan 5, 2016 | Criminal Defense
Illinois residents may be aware that communications between lawyers and their clients are considered privileged, and they may also know that lawyers can face severe sanctions if they report things that they have been told by those they represent. While discussions...
On behalf of The Law Office of Jessica Koester, LLC | Nov 30, 2015 | Criminal Defense
Illinois residents may not have heard that a number of wiretaps used since 2013 to arrest more than 300 people and seize drugs and cash may have been illegal. As many as 738 wiretaps were approved by lower-level attorneys between mid-2013 and late 2015 when according...
On behalf of The Law Office of Jessica Koester, LLC | Sep 30, 2015 | Criminal Defense
Drug overdoses are a serious problem in Illinois and around the country. Prosecutors are now using new strategies to combat these occurrences. After a fatal overdose, investigators may look at the victim’s cellphone call logs and text messages to determine who...
On behalf of The Law Office of Jessica Koester, LLC | Sep 16, 2015 | Criminal Defense
Some Illinois residents are angered when they read about individuals who have caused fatal accidents receiving what appear to be extremely light sentences after entering into a plea agreement, but experts say that the criminal justice system would grind to a halt in a...
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