Florida Criminal Lawyer Blog

Broward County and Sunrise law enforcement officers are investigating the shooting deaths of three members of a Sunrise family who were killed this weekend and found dead in their home last Sunday. Police officials mentioned murder-suicide as a possibility publicly earlier in the week, but have also stated that they are still investigating and cannot be sure about the cause of the deaths at this point in time, says Broward criminal attorney William Moore. Though the investigating law enforcement agencies have not released the names of the deceased individuals, a family friend has identified them as 35-year-old Quincy Kelly, his 32-year-old wife Lisa Kelly, and their 12-year-old daughter Soroya, who was a student at the Westpine Middle School.

Police discovered the bodies of the family members this Sunday after responding to a domestic disturbance phone call on Northwest 21st Street in Sunrise, Fort Lauderdale criminal attorney Moore has learned. Relatives of the family members approached police officials and directed them to a locked rear bedroom. When they got to the room, police officials breached the door and discovered the bodies. It is still unknown who called the police to respond to the residence and how the family members on the scene were involved. Family friend Glen Mitchell told reporters that Quincy Kelly’s mother, Fay Kelly, and his aunt, whose name he did not know, also lived at the house with the other family members. It is unknown if these family members were the same individuals who were present when police officials responded to the scene. Mitchell mentioned that Fay Kelly and Quincy Kelly’s aunt were too shaken from the incident to speak with reporters. The news of the family members’ deaths shocked the parishioners at the Lauderdale Lakes church they attended, the Church of Atonement, Fort Lauderdale criminal lawyer Moore has learned. In the middle of this Sunday’s church service Pastor Earl Henry delivered the bad news to church members after being handed a note.

Kelly and his wife were Jamaica natives, as are a number of the members of the Church of Atonement. Glen Mitchell told reporters that he and other church members got up and left the service immediately upon hearing the news due to shock. Mitchell stated that Quincy Kelly was a very happy and humorous person and that the news took him by surprise. The Kelly family’s neighbor, Veronica Chester, also expressed her shock at the deaths, stating that “you would never expect this in our neighborhood.”

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Posted by William Ryan Moore | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Murder

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Many people think of drug charges as low-level offenses, according to Broward County criminal attorney William Moore. This perception could be for a number of reasons, but one of the most important and obvious ones is that possession of a controlled substance probably poses less of a harm to the society at large than many other crimes, like armed robbery. Most people see that drug possession likely has less of an effect on other people than violent crimes.

Fort Lauderdale criminal attorney Moore says that drug charges are still serious. Prosecutors of ten take full advantage of the Florida statutory scheme for controlled substances and the amount that constitutes personal use (simple possession) versus trafficking. Criminal defendants who are arrested after being found with drugs during a routine traffic stop, for example, are often surprised by the criminal charges they face.

In Florida, possession of a controlled substance of a certain amount – which varies dramatically depending on what the drug is – is usually charged as drug trafficking. Trafficking in the traditional sense refers to the movement of large amounts of drugs, especially between countries. For instance, there has been significant reporting done on the drug trafficking, especially of cocaine, between Latin America and Miami. Likewise, drug trafficking in Mexico and into the United States is responsible for the uptick in violence related to drug cartels.

Other common drug charges include possession of drug paraphernalia, which is a misdemeanor. A drug paraphernalia charge can stem from a variety of different items, but to name a few: a pipe, rolling papers, and plastic baggies. It is often difficult for the state to sustain a drug paraphernalia charge without other evidence of drug use associated with the item, such as marijuana residue.

Items found near the drugs, or the way the drugs are found, may also be used to support a charge of possession with intent to sell a controlled substance. Classic examples include a reasonably large amount of drugs found doled out into plastic baggies, as though for individual sale. A scale, which can be used to meter out the precise amount sold (like an eight of an ounce of marijuana, for example) might be other evidence, just like a large amount of money found near the drugs or a list of names and numbers of buyers would be. Fort Lauderdale criminal attorney Moore has years of experience defending against drug charges of all kinds.

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Posted by William Ryan Moore | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Drug Crimes

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Every teenager is bound to get into some trouble, says Broward County criminal lawyer William Moore. Even the best kids who do not have prior disciplinary problems can find themselves before a juvenile judge in deliquency proceedings, which is like criminal court for adults. However, in addition to the crimes an adult can be charged with, juveniles face other possible delinquency issues, says Fort Lauderdale criminal attorney Moore. These are often called “status crimes,” meaning that there is something particular about the person’s status – in this case, the age of the youth – that makes the act criminal. For example, if your teenager is arrested or placed in juvenile delinquency proceedings for purchasing or smoking cigarettes or other tobacco products, that is a status crime. Likewise, underage drinking, the purchase of alcohol by people under the age of 21 years, and truancy from school are other status crimes.

Fort Lauderdale criminal lawyer Moore notes that another common issue young people face is drug charges. Many teenagers experiment with alcohol and drugs, such as marijuana. If your teen is found at school with a small amount of marijuana, whether or not it was actually even his, he could have serious issues with both the juvenile court system and with his school.

The ultimate goal of the juvenile justice system is to rehabilitate kids and get them back on the right path. That’s one reason why juvenile offenses do not usually show up on a person’s criminal record when he or she becomes an adult. This policy is with good reason: the 14-year-old caught smoking cigarettes in the bathroom at school might become at 25-year-old teacher who should not be judged by youthful indiscretions. Particularly serious crimes may result in adult charges, a practice which is probably more common in Florida than most other states. For example, a 17-year-old who commits a burglary with a weapon might be charged as an adult, especially if he already has a lengthy juvenile record.

Continue reading " Broward County Criminal Defense Attorney Weighs in on Juvenile Deliquency in Fort Lauderdale/Broward County " »

Posted by William Ryan Moore | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Criminal Punishment

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