Charges
Murder — life sentence
Tillman v. Warden of State of California
Attorney: Charles Brown
Outcome
Wrongful conviction reversed on appeal
Our client had been convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison. He maintained his innocence. Years passed. The system had moved on.
We did not.
Post-conviction work in a murder case is among the most difficult advocacy in the law. The conviction is final. The appeals have often already been exhausted. The system is designed to resist reopening closed cases, and courts apply increasingly demanding standards at each successive stage of review.
To prevail, you must find what was missed — constitutional errors, newly available evidence, ineffective assistance, or prosecutorial conduct that deprived the client of a fair trial. And then you must convince a court, years or decades later, to act on it.
We investigated the case thoroughly, identified the grounds for relief, and built the legal record needed to support a successful challenge. The work required patience, precision, and an absolute commitment to our client’s innocence.
The conviction was reversed. The life sentence was overturned.
Our client — wrongfully convicted of murder and sentenced to spend his life in prison — was vindicated. This is the work that defines why we practice law.