J Wyndal Gordon

10/04/2024

YESTERDAY CONCLUDED A TWO DAY MERITS HEARING FOR A MAN FIGHTING TO RECEIVE COMPENSATION FOR HIS WRONGFUL ARREST, CONVICTION, AND CONFINEMENT. He spent 39 years in prison after being falsely arrested, tried, and convicted for a double homicide that occurred on April 23, 1984, @ 3:30a, at the Chandelier Night Club, an old after-hours spot, once located on the corner of Reisterstown Road and Orem Avenue in Baltimore City. He was sentenced on December 21, 1984, to 103 years in prison. My Client was 22 y.o, at that time of sentencing. He is 62 y.o today.

Ever since the day he was arrested my Cient has relentlessly fought for his freedom. He never succumbed to the belief that he was supposed to be imprisoned or that he’d spend the rest of his life jail. He always knew he would be free one day. My Client, over decades, has filed numerous appeals, motions, petitions, writs, —you name it, and over decades, after very lengthy trial and appellate processes, he had been denied every time. Yet, he never gave up on his on his enormous faith in God’s favor. Each denial made him more and more determined in his resolve to keep fighting. Maintained his innocence every step of the way, you could never convince him that it was God’s for him to remain incarcerated until the day he died. He knew one day, he would be free again.

On or about February 16, 2023, my Client finally received his breakthrough. He filed a Petition for Writ of Actual Innocence a few years prior based upon newly discovered evidence. In a four page opinion, his Petition was granted. With the help of the Maryland Public Defenders Office and the Innocence Project, it was discovered, decades after my Client’s convictions, that the State’s Fi****ms & Toolmarks expert, Joseph Kopera, had fabricated his credentials, forged documents and lab reports, and provided false testimony in 100s of State and federal criminal cases in Maryland and beyond. Once discovered, Kopera’s pattern and practice of dishonesty, lying under oath, and deceit was widely publicized and spread throughout the legal and law enforcement communities like wildfire. Amid all of the pressure surmounting from the revelations, the disgraced fi****ms expert, Kopera, ironically used one of his own fi****ms to “unalive” himself.

Once the court reviewed my Client’s case, excluding the testimony of the disgraced Kopera, it found the remaining evidence (which was all circumstantial at best with no nexus) insufficient to sustain any of his convictions. The court, as mentioned above, granted the Writ of Actual Innocence and on April 3, 2023, my Client was released from prison. Although overjoyed by his new found freedom so much has been lost since he was confined.

While incarcerated, 2/3 of his life was stolen. My client never had the opportunity to bare children, he was never present for his family milestones, additions, and expansions. He lost both of his parents while incarcerated whom he was close to and loved dearly. He never got the opportunity to take care of them when their health declined nor attend their funerals when they transitioned. Everyday in the penitentiary he had to fight to survive in one way or another.

Today, my Client is blind in his left eye because he was hit with a lock-in-a-sock (sock or batteries placed in a tube sock to be used as a weapon). Prison officials and prison gangs ruled the yard. In order to survive my Client had to build prison alliances to ensure his protection and foster brotherhood. Knowing he was not supposed to be imprisoned before the law caught up, my client had to get used to the stench of raw f***s, vomit, and stale urine emanating from the toilet near the head of his bed. Everytime his cellmate used the toilet, he was mere feet away from where he laid his head. There was no partition walls separating the toilet from the rest of the 8x10 jail cell.

My Client also had to become immune to the cries of grown men bartered, broken, and emasculated for ci******es, chocolate milks, and ramen noodles; or physically violated for dominance, ego, or to satisfy the prurient interests of other men. Most devastating to my Client was being stripped of his humanity, dignity, and rights only to be relegated to a prison ID number.
It makes for extreme discomfort to be told as grown men when to go to bed, when to wake up, when to shower, when to eat, when to enjoy recreation and when to come in. Being stripped of control and agency over your person is a devastating reality that never set well with my Client. He did not deserve to be there and he knew one day he’d be free.

After my Client’s “one day” turned in to “day one” of freedom, he understood that Maryland owed for his wrongful incarceration. He sought counsel to look into what were his rights. I took his case bc his story and his faith resonated with me greatly. This man was a true fighter with a positive spirit, it’s hard to believe that he served time at all, much less 39 years for a double homicide he did not commit. But that was his reality and I wanted to help.

We filed for relief under the relatively newly enacted Walter Lomax Act (SFP 10-501) which provides compensation and wrap around services to individuals wrongly convicted and confined. We thought the process would be easy since we were armed with a Writ of Actual Innocence signed by a State Court judge. We could not have been more wrong.

Despite receiving a Writ of Actual Innocence, a Claimant under the Walter Lomax Act (WLA) has to prove his innocence in front of an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ), rather than a jury, to be eligible for compensation. The judge has to be persuaded by “clear and convincing” evidence for a person wrongly convicted to be eligible for compensation and services. The “clear and convincing” standard is pretty much the civil analogue to “proof beyond reasonable doubt” —used in criminal cases. Except in WLA cases, the burden shifts to the Claimant/my Client to prove once again that he is innocent of the charges for which he was wrongfully convicted.

The Writ of Actual Innocence is but one factor for the ALJ to consider among many others. Don’t get me wrong, the Writ of Actual Innocence is helpful and carries weight, but it is not dispositive of the case or the issues necessarily attendant thereto. My Client could actually be denied compensation from the State after serving 39 years in prison for a crime he did not commit if he fails to convince the ALJ of his innocence.

The two-day hearing was grueling, we had to comb through hundreds of pages of transcripts and pleadings, visit what’s left of the crime scene, canvas neighborhoods, attempt to locate witnesses, collect whatever evidence we could, inspect court records, take pictures, etc. What made the process even more challenging was the fact that neighborhoods have changed, witnesses have died or forgotten about the case, the area is no longer the same. Indeed, the Chandelier Nightclub/After Hours Spot is no longer in existence, it’s now an African apparel store and so on and so on. Nonetheless, we believe we were able to meet all of these challenges and presented what we hope to be a strong case that more than meets the standard of proof we have to satisfy. Perhaps the hardest part of this case is not knowing for sure what the ALJ will decide.

In the meantime, I’m just asking for your prayers in this matter. My client has been through a lot in his lifetime and lost a lot. It is unimaginable what has happened to him over the years, and it is a miracle he has been able maintain such a positive outlook and attitude toward life. This case means a lot to me and I’m hopeful my Client will receive just compensation and services for all that he has endured over the years and lived to talk about. —The Warrior Lawyer®️!

09/27/2024

I GOTTA TELL YOU HOW CRAZY THINGS HAVE BECOME. Yesterday, we completed a two day trial where my client was facing 53 years in prison arising out of an alleged “road rage” incident. Because he was falsely accused of brandishing and pointing a handgun, he was charged with First Degree Assault, Second Degree Assault, Handgun Use in the Commission of a Felony, and Wear, Carry, Transport of a Handgun. Needless to say we were found NOT GUILTY but that is not why I’m writing quite honestly. I’m writing to let you all know how dangerous the facts were in this case and how easily anyone of us could have been charged with the same offenses because I’m sure everyone of us have engaged in similar conduct. Let me explain, and this is going to be a long post.

On January 25, 2024, my Client, 26, was at the intersection of Campus Drive and Baltimore Avenue in College Park, Maryland waiting for the light to change. He made a right turn onto Baltimore Avenue proceeded northbound. Due to construction causing the two-lane highway to converge into one, my Client, in a haste to get to his destination, and without thinking, cut over into the right lane and apparently cut-off a fellow motorist heading in the same direction.

The motorist got really “upset” by my Client’s actions and laid on his horn for several seconds, while gesturing with his hands, and mouthing profanities. My Client slowed his vehicle to travel through the construction site and when the lanes opened back up into a two lane highway again, my Client returned to the left lane and slowed his vehicle bc after being initially startled by the horn, he wanted to see who the motorist was. At that point, my Client became annoyed by the motorist’s unreasonable display of frustration and anger, and wanted to pantomime his disapproval of the motorist’s behavior.

The motorist slowed his vehicle too right beside my Client’s, then he rolled down his window and began to shouting and cursing at him. My Client, in response, rolled down his passenger-side window and to cursed back at the motorist. The back-and-forth escalated to the point where motorist brandished and pointed a silver handgun at my Client face. Once my Client observed the handgun he took-off in his automobile at a high rate of speed. The motorist gave chase and pursued my Client down Baltimore Avenue toward the intersection of Berwyn House Road which is almost a mile away from where they started.

As my Client approached the Berwyn House Road intersection the motorist was virtually on his bumper and the light was steady red. My Client ran through the red light, made an evasive maneuver to avoid hitting a car and almost hit a pedestrian operating a scooter. Once he navigated the intersection, he fled the scene safely, at least, so he thought because here is the kicker. The motorist to a pic of my Client’s license plate, contacted police, and reported that my Client pulled the silver handgun out on him.

Without any further information or corroboration, on February 11, 2024, PrGeoCo PD had an arrest warrant issued for my Client to be taken into custody and charged. My Client is a father of a 2yo, is expecting another child in our about February 2025, attended Bowie State University, and working as a delivery driver for a shipping company. He has no criminal record and frankly, I doubt if the young had ever been suspended from school. My Client is an exceptional dude and upstanding young person trying to take care of his family, be a productive citizen, and an example to his community.

He was arrested in April 2024, in Virginia, while he and his beautiful fiance were taking his son to Legoland for a fun-filled day at an amusement park. They detained him in VA until PrGeoCo came to pick him up and transport him back to Maryland to face these charges. He was able to secure a bail but the charges loomed over his head and the risk of serving time was real.

When the State produced its Discovery, it was revealed that the entire matter was captured on videotape by several University of Maryland cameras placed along Baltimore Avenue. Obviously, however, the cameras were unable to capture the part when motorist produced the handgun. However, the cameras were able to capture my Client fleeing the scene erratically at a high rate of speed and the motorist in hot pursuit —trailing close to his bumper. Looking back, it’s a wonder why the State was so determined to prosecute this matter —but they did.

The State, without any evidence besides the motorist’s uncorroborated say-so testimony, had no problem taking the matter to a jury and if they had prevailed they were looking to have my client jailed for a very long time. No gun was ever recovered, no search of my Client’s vehicle or home was conducted to determine whether my Client owned or possessed a handgun, and no other independent evidence was recovered. Meanwhile, my Client had to hire a lawyer (me), restrict his activities, suffer a diminished his quality of life, and deal with the stress and anxiety that comes with being criminally charge, and an impending trial —trusting in God yes, but not truly knowing what his fate will be.

The State put its witnesses on the stand and we destroyed all of them via cross-examination. We put an eye-witness up and he was neutralized but still very effective because by the end of the trial, the jury saw the case exactly the way we did. They returned a verdict NOT GUILTY as to all counts in less than an hour.

The lesson in all of this which applies to even myself when operating a motor vehicle, is that anyone can get arrested for anything —even based upon uncorroborated testimony, if gun allegation is made. It’s a very scary situation because when the police come for you with a gun charge they come very aggressively with the full-thrust of law enforcement. So people, we have to stop arguing with others in our vehicles and stop responding to drivers who annoy us. Our destination will always be more important than winning an argument with a passing motorist. What my client has gone through I would not wish on anybody. I’m so glad God was with us, that truth and justice prevailed, and that able I was able to be an instrument of God’s grace and mercy. —The Warrior Lawyer®️!

07/09/2024

NOT GUILTY ALL COUNTS. (Att. Murder x 2, and 14 related offenses). [This is a long post].

On or about April 17, 2023, Client, 18, was warned by Assailant, family, and friends that Assailant intended to bring some folks to his home to shoot it up over dispute with his best friend who had been staying there a few days. Client was concerned bc he lived with his mother, 4y.o sister, and close in age older brother, 20, whom he reasonably believed could be placed in danger. Assailant claimed Client’s best friend whom she had a romantic relationship with broke up with her and owed her money. Client’s best friend was staying with Client for a few days bc Assailant put him out of her house and he needed a place to crash, temporarily, while he figured out his next housing situation. Throughout this entire time, Assailant was contacting Client’s best friend to argue and make threats upon his life which ultimately resulted in him blocking her. She had physically beaten on him in the past and even attacked with a knife leaving deep lacerations that required stitches to heal properly.

Client’s best friend blocking Assailant from contacting him infuriated her and caused her to turn her attention to one of Client’s female friends. Assailant began a series of text messages to Client’s female friend telling her what she intended to do to Client’s best friend and Client’s home since Client thought everything was “so funny.” Client’s female friend tried to counsel her against her malicious intentions but Assailant was inconsolable. The female friend then told Client who tried to play off his deepening concerns about his safety and the safety of his family. Inside, he was feeling really apprehensive what Assailant was capable of doing and began to make provisions for himself and his family as he took heed what was being relayed. Client gained access to a firearm.

Next with Assailant’s cross-hairs was Client, himself. Assailant turned her rage toward Client bc she believed he was counseling his best friend to leave her alone and further blocking her ability to speak to him. She further believed Client was laughing at her suffer through an obviously painful breakup. When Client stopped taking Assailant’s phone calls, she began contacting Client via text to send her messages to his best friend about what she intended to do with his personal belongings remaining in her home. Then started leaving life threatening messages to Client and his best friend bc she thought they were mocking her. Her increasingly intensifying threats ultimately resulted in Client blocking her too.

Not to be outdone, on April 18, 2023, Assailant researched Client’s mother’s information (address & phone #) and began contacting her about Client’s best friend breaking up with her and owing her money. Mother listened for a moment but was confused bc none of her angst or anger had anything to do with her son. Mother became exhausted by the conversation and expressed her desire to terminate the call. This incensed Assailant and led to a profanity-ladened tirade which ended with threats of violence toward Mother and household. Assailant continued to contact Client’s mother multiple times from 12:47a to 1:56a threatening to shoot up their house if she didn’t get whatever money she claimed she was owed. —Assailant was obviously having a meltdown however Mother could not save her.

Mother woke up Client to notify him of Assailant’s threats and behavior and to advise that his best friend needed to be out of their home first thing in the morning. Client obeyed and Client and best friend left the house early that morning to attempt to address his housing insecurity. Client had decided that best friend would get a hotel room until things could be further sorted out.

Meanwhile, Assailant, apparently was still stewing from the night before bc she felt everyone was dismissing her and not moving fast enough to reunite her with Client’s best friend to get her money. Assailant sent Mother a f/u text at 10:33a again threatening to shoot up their home if Client’s best friend remained there upon her arrival. Assailant was known to carry a .22 pistol and for her dysregulated emotions and impulsive behaviors, and, as mentioned above, Assailant was further known for her strong propensity for violence —domestic and otherwise. Equally relevant, Assailant was further known for her close associations with violent individuals. In fact, a week or two before this incident, Assailant was involved in a full blown shootout that was at that time under investigation by PGPD.

Nonetheless, at around 12:00p on April 18, 2023, Assailant came Client’s neighborhood and parked her car a far distance away from his residence. She was accompanied by an armed gunman. They meandered Client’s neighborhood until making their way to his residence. My client armed himself in advance of her arrival. There had been too many warnings coming in about what Assailant intended to do.

True to form, Assailant confronted Client and best friend, an argument ensued, tempers flared, the gunman drew his weapon and fired upon Client at close-range as Client was standing in his walkway and missed. Client recounted smelling the burnt gunpowder and hearing the bullet whist pass. Client, almost simultaneously, instantly returned fire multiple times in self-defense, ultimately striking the gunman in his right groin before the gunman took cover and flight. The gunman ran to Assailant’s car some distance away near the far-side of the neighborhood. By the time he got inside, the gunman fell unconscious on his way to the hospital due to blood loss. The gunman’s run from the scene to the getaway car caused him to exsanguinate profusely. By the time they made it to the ER the gunman actually coded a couple of times but was resuscitated by providers and staff.

PGPD was called by several neighbors, an investigation was initiated by an inexperienced detective who conducted the shabbiest investigation known to man. Ultimately, Client was charged criminally for defending against trouble brought to his doorstep, literally. He heard about me in the detention center or somewhere and reached out.

Client truly needed me bc PrGeoCo threw the book him. When I looked Client’s charges he faced a battery of offenses as depicted below —including 1st & 2d Degree Attempted Murder x 2, Attempted Manslaughter x 2, 1st & 2d Degree Assault x 2, Reckless Endangerment x 2, and a gaggle of handgun/firearm violations. By the time this matter went to trial Client was facing 16 charges that could’ve landed him in jail for double life plus 161 years. Without any hesitation or second thought, we demanded a jury and took his case to trial.

The trial lasted from June 24, 2024 - July 8, 2024. As I said before PrGeoCo threw the book at us; however, we read every page and threw it right back at them —and hit them in the head with it. Self-defense was our theory. The incident was captured in part by a neighbor’s Ring cam which clearly depicted the muzzle flash from the gunman’s weapon. Additionally, it was well settled that my client fired a 9mm —ejected 9mm shell casings were littered all over his front lawn. However, a .38 bullet was also recovered from the crime scene and my client testified that the gunman fired upon him with a revolver (hence no shell casing recovered).

After two weeks of testimony, within 3 hours of deliberations, the jury came back with a resounding NOT GUILTY verdict on each and every count —ending a 15 month oddessy. And we were well pleased.

None of this would have been possible without God’s grace and mercy. For that reason, I want to expressly give him all of the honor and praise. I also want to thank Him for continuing to use me as a vessel to set the captives free and restore to people what has been unjustly taken. I was the second attorney hired by Client. Not sure what happened to the first one, however without casting any dispersion, God knew he obviously was not the right fit. And I can always tell when God shows up in my cases because everything, —I mean every piece of evidence, all of the trial testimony, even the momentum-shifting great trial moments —tends to align itself so perfectly within them. Also things occur that are no less miraculous than Jesus arising from his tomb on the third day, giving sight to the blind man, or healing the women with issues of blood. Let me tell you something, God is grace and God is good —all the time!

Last but not least, I want to personally thank the jury for the amazing sacrifice they made to serve as jurors in this case, for the patience they displayed throughout the trial that was only supposed to last for three days, and for remaining attentive the entire time they sat as jurors, and executing their duties fairly and impartially and seeing to it that justice prevailed.

PSA: If we truly believe in justice, let’s continue to do our part and serve on juries when called. Let’s try not to make ever excuse not to serve and just serve. People, like Client, need fair-minded people to hear their cases everyday and make decisions on what is right and wrong. Although justice is hardly ever convenient, it sure is beautiful when it manifests by two of my favorite words in criminal law —NOT GUILTY. —The Warrior Lawyer®️! ,

04/07/2024

Dawn Staley went too far. —The Warrior Lawyer®️

04/03/2024

THIS IS THE NEW R**E BILL OUR LEGISLATORS ARE ABOUT TO VOTE INTO LAW. Now every person who has had a “bad s*x” experience or experienced regret after consensual s*x in*******se with someone they wished they hadn’t, can file a r**e charge against their partner. A lot of women and men will be going to jail for decades for r**e once this law gets a vote on the floor of the General Assembly today.

The way the system is set up however, mostly men will be vulnerable to this new law —black men especially bc in my opinion most of the new criminal laws on the books have been enacted either in response to or to ensnare black men. Quite frankly, I’ve yet to see gay women charged with such offenses but you know what? I guess that could change too. This is bad law all the way around.

As it stands now, this new bill (SB 758)/(HB496) will soon become the law in the State of Maryland unless there is a push by citizens to urge their elected officials to vote it down. In days, Maryland will have a law on its books that states “submission” to a s*xual encounter due to “fear”, threat, or “coercion” does not “constitute consent”. Consequently, this law potentially subjects every person to a r**e charge who engages a s*x partner. Just imagine how “s*x-regret” will be weaponized and this law exploited in the future to harm innocent men and women.

All a prosecutrix has to “allege” to get their partner locked up in pretrial detention for months without bail, potentially convicted and imprisoned for decades, and upon release, a lifetime registration as a s*x-offender, is that they submitted to the s*xual encounter bc they were afraid to “say or do” anything to stop it. Alternatively, a prosecutrix can “allege” they were “coerced” into submitting to a s*xual encounter and their partner could be charged and imprisoned for decades. The prosecutrix’s fear or alleged coercion does not even have to be reasonable. It absolutely could be subjective and could conceivably occur after the s*xual encounter —so long as it was “alleged” to have occurred prior to or during —you get my drift?

Imagine, if someone alleged they felt “coerced” into having “unprotected s*x”, their partner could potentially get a r**e charge. Or if someone else alleged they “feared” that they were impregnated by or potentially got their partner pregnant, their partner could potentially be subject to a r**e charge too. Money for s*x to pay a light bill or phone bill could constitute lack of consent and thereby support a r**e charge. S*x for an opportunity, privilege, or benefit could be coercive and thereby support a r**e charge. These examples and scenarios may sound rather absurd to you today but should they come to pass, they will all support the charge of r**e under this new law. Where is the accountability for bad decisions or less than great decisions in choosing a s*x partner? Why would we want to criminalize a member of the public for someone else’s poor choices? To me, that’s absurd.

When all folks have to do to turn an ordinary law abiding citizen into a ra**st is tweak the language in their allegation to make a claim of r**e (e.g., submitted to a s*xual encounter because they felt coerced or fearful —for whatever reason), instantly, their partner becomes their muse or even their slave —vulnerable to their whims, fancies, wickedness and irresponsibilities. Now jilted lovers are legislatively empowered to ruin the lives of their partners and potentially have them partners jailed. Imagine trying to break off a relationship with a spiteful person familiar with this law. People will be destroyed under this law, and true ra**st will be no different than innocent person he will soon share his cell with.

Unfortunately, a defense lawyer like myself could potentially make a lot of money defending folks who have been charged with r**e as a result of the new provisions soon to be enacted. And that is really sad bc I would much rather make my living tearing down the vestiges of slavery elsewhere in our society and in other ways.

Mothers, tell your young ppl to try not to have s*x. At this point, no one is safe from becoming a convicted s*x-offender and lifetime s*x offender registrant if they are s*xually active under this new crime law. —The Warrior Lawyer®️! ,

02/03/2023

02/03/2023

FOX NEWS: “Caution, video is graphic.” Can we try our case in the courtroom? All we want is a fair trial. All this talk about a masked gunman, first degree murder, and Timothy Reynolds retreating, and did not strike anyone with a bat, please just stop it!!