Billy Raymond Counterman sent hundreds of thousands of Facebook messages years to local country singer Coles Whalen over the course of about five years. Whalen was finally unnerved enough to file stalking charges against Counterman. The mountains of comments left Whalen feeling frightened enough that she ultimately felt she had…
San Diego Criminal Lawyers Blog
Criminal Justice Reforms on the Horizon
Who leads the world in the number of incarcerated individuals? The United States. There are over two million people behind bars in this country and another three million under some other form of control (like probation or parole). Add to these numbers up to 100 million people who are living…
Finding a Needle in a Haystack: Genealogy Testing in the Criminal Justice System
The Golden State Killer had raped and murdered for ten years and hidden in plain sight for decades before he was finally caught, years after terrorizing Californians. His crime spree involved nearly 90 victims, and because he was a former police officer, he knew how to evade detection and capture…
When Police Mistakes Impact Your Case
If you have been charged with a crime, you could be facing some pretty unpleasant penalties. That is why having an experienced and aggressive local criminal defense attorney working on your behalf is so essential. At Boertje & Associates, our defense attorneys are committed to working diligently for clients, starting…
Behind Bars: Book Bans
When author Silja Talvi approached Lou Johnson about sharing her experiences behind bars, Johnson was happy to participate. Talvi, an investigative journalist by profession, was writing a book about incarcerated women, and wanted them to tell their stories in order to bring the abuse and trauma that was so common…
Preparing Your Criminal Defense
Criminal charges are serious business, requiring a serious response. At the Law Offices of David M. Boertje, a skilled defense attorney is committed to fighting for your best interests. Part of that means we strive to keep clients informed every step of the way. Although every case is different, here…
What to Expect as Your Criminal Case Moves Forward
If you have been charged with criminal activity, the police and the district attorney have concluded that you are the most likely suspect connected to a crime. Your arrest has you frightened and worried about your future. What is next for you? The Arrest Unless they caught you in the…
Elder Fraud: When Seniors are Targeted
$1.7 billion: That is how much money seniors aged 60+ lost in scams last year. What is behind the surge in fraudulent cons targeting senior citizens, and how can they protect themselves better? On the other side of the question, what should someone charged with elder fraud do? The What…
Blood Spatter Analysis: Is it Reliable?
Investigators look at the clues left at the scene of a crime in order to reconstruct the event so they can understand what happened there. This is especially important when it comes to violent crimes, where evidence often points to suspects. When crimes involve a lot of blood, expert analysis…
California Cold Cases
More murders occur in California than in any other state. Some attribute the high population and dense living as the major contributors to this statistic, but, for whatever reason, the state leads in murders. Additionally, a lot of those murders are unsolved. There are cold cases going back over four…