LENNARD K. WHITTAKER, ATTORNEY

Attorney Involvement: 17 months, 5-member team format, strategist role

Jurisdiction: Hidalgo

Kind of Case: Capital murder, felony murder, injury to child SBI, injury to child SBI by omission

Outcome: Acquittal on murder charges. Convicted of reckless injury to child SBI, reckless injury to child by omission. (Pending sentencing).

Key info: 17-week-old falls from bed height, dies after respiratory arrest. Intracranial and retinal hemorrhages lead State to conclude a violent murder. Defense showed jury evidence of pre-existing bleeding disorder in infant which made child subject to hemorrhages.

Attorney Involvement: 15 months

Jurisdiction: Hidalgo

Kind of Case: Aggravated sexual assault

Outcome: Plea to terroristic threat to family/household. Spent 15 months in jail

Attorney Involvement: 48 months, joint representation

Jurisdiction: Hidalgo

Kind of Case: Aggravated sexual assault of a child under 14

Outcome: Plea to Class A Misdemeanor Assault

Key Info: Outcry delay: 18 years.

Attorney Involvement: 39 months

Jurisdiction: Hidalgo

Kind of Case*: Aggravated Sexual Assault of child under 6, Indecency by Contact

Outcome: Acquittal on Aggravated Sexual Assault charges. Conviction on Indecency by Contact. (Pending appeal). 62 months in jail. Sentence: 60 months.

Key info: No physical evidence. Child Accuser did not describe criminal act from stand. Hearsay evidence allowed to describe criminal act to jury.

Attorney Involvement: 4 months

Jurisdiction: Hidalgo

Kind of Case*: Continuous child sex abuse, agg sexual assault of child, indecency w/a child.

Outcome: Dismissal — Accusation made during parental discipline; days later she recanted; DA interrupted in police investigation, then hastily indicted. Eventually, case expunged. CPS adoption reversed.

Attorney Involvement: 14 months

Jurisdiction: Hidalgo

Kind of Case: Burglary of habitation

Outcome: Plea to Criminal Trespass (sentence sculpted with immigration consequences in mind)

Key info: Co-defendant pled to burglary and assaulting police by coughing at police at height of covid. A burglary of a home in broad daylight on a Sunday morning at height of covid made little sense.

Attorney Involvement: 18 months

Jurisdiction: Hidalgo

Kind of Case: continuous sexual abuse of child and three counts of agg. sexual assault of a child.

Outcome: Dismissal on morning of jury selection. Released afeter 13 months in jail.

Attorney Involvement: 38 months

Jurisdiction: Hidalgo

Kind of Case*: Indecency with a child by contact.

Outcome: Jury acquittal. Released after 39 months in jail. Case expunged.

Attorney Involvement: 8 months

Jurisdiction: Hidalgo

Kind of Case: Indecency with a child by contact.

Outcome: Dismissal.

Attorney Involvement: 6 months

Jurisdiction: Hidalgo

Kind of Case: Sexual assault of child (statutory rape), indecency w/a child (statutory rape), possession of child pornography (couple´s selfies)

Outcome: Dismissal.

Attorney Involvement: 4 months

Jurisdiction: Hidalgo

Kind of Case*: Continuous child sex abuse, agg sexual assault of child, indecency w/a child.

Outcome: Dismissal — Accusation made during parental discipline; days later she recanted; DA interrupted in police investigation, then hastily indicted. Eventually, case expunged. CPS adoption reversed.

Attorney Involvement: 28 months

Jurisdiction: Hidalgo

Kind of Case*: Agg sexual assault of child, indecency w/a minor.

Outcome: Dismissal — TRE 601 action pending; released after 28 months in jail.

Attorney Involvement: 12 months

Jurisdiction: Hidalgo

Kind of Case: F1 Manufacture/delivery of controlled subtances, tampering with evidence.

Outcome: Dismissal with suppresion pending, pled to unrelated charge.

Attorney Involvement: 8 months

Jurisdiction: Hidalgo

Kind of Case: Domestic assault/impede breath.

Outcome: Dismissal after investigation of diagnoses/medication of accused.

Attorney Involvement: 8 months

Jurisdiction: Hidalgo

Kind of Case: Continuous child sexual abuse, agg sexual assault of child.

Outcome: Dismissal — accusation made to garner leverage in family law case, released after 8 months in jail.

Attorney Involvement: 13 months, joint representation

Jurisdiction: Hidalgo

Kind of Case: Continuous child sexual abuse.

Outcome: Dismissal — stepdaughter made premeditated false accusation (discovered on her cell phone) against stepdad in order to hurt biomom.

Attorney Involvement: 11 months

Jurisdiction: Hidalgo

Kind of Case: Injury to child.

Outcome: Dismissal after jury selected.

Attorney Involvement: 30 months

Jurisdiction: Hidalgo

Kind of Case*: Sexual assault and indecency w/a minor.

Outcome: Dismissal.

Attorney Involvement: 10 months

Jurisdiction: Hidalgo

Kind of Case: Domestic assault/impede breath.

Outcome: Dismissal — medicine reaction.

Attorney Involvement: 20 months

Jurisdiction: Hidalgo

Kind of Case: Continuous child sexual abuse.

Outcome: Dismissal; released after 21 months in jail.

Attorney Involvement: 9 months

Jurisdiction: Hidalgo

Kind of Case: Aggravated robbery

Outcome: Dismissal 

Attorney Involvement: 11 months

Jurisdiction: Hidalgo

Kind of Case: Aggravated domestic assault with deadly weapon

Outcome: Dismissal

Attorney Involvement: 9 months

Jurisdiction: Hidalgo

Kind of Case: Possession of marihuana

Outcome: Dismissal after Motion to Suppress Evidence

Attorney Involvement: 14 months

Jurisdiction: Hidalgo

Kind of Case*: Aggravated sexual assault of child 

Outcome: Dismissal at TRE 601 hearing

Attorney Involvement: 14 months

Jurisdiction: Hidalgo

Kind of Case: Aggravated sexual assault of child

Outcome: Dismissal — plea to unrelated charge

Attorney Involvement: 18 months

Jurisdiction: Hidalgo

Kind of Case*: Misdemeanor domestic assault

Outcome: Directed verdict

Attorney Involvement: 5 months

Jurisdiction: Hidalgo

Kind of Case: Burglary of habitation

Outcome: Dismissal 

Attorney Involvement: 9 months

Jurisdiction: Hidalgo

Kind of Case: Assault on public servant

Outcome: Dismissal — medicine reaction

Attorney Involvement: 18 months, joint representation

Jurisdiction: Hidalgo

Kind of Case: Indecency with child by contact

Outcome: Acquittal; released after 19 months in jail

Attorney Involvement: 2 months

Jurisdiction: Hidalgo

Kind of Case: Sexual assault of child

Outcome: Dismissal

Attorney Involvement: 5 months

Jurisdiction: Hidalgo

Kind of Case: Sexual assault 

Outcome: Dismissal — plea to non-sex crime

Attorney Involvement: 9 months

Jurisdiction: Hidalgo

Kind of Case: Aggravated sexual assault of child

Outcome: Dismissal 

* Prosecution of family member of mentally ill child/adolescent.