The district attorney is re-trying him — and has re-indicted him.
In the late 1970’s, terror gripped the streets of downtown Los Angeles. A killer was on the loose, stalking the city’s homeless population. By 1979, the police had a suspect: a recent transplant to California from Tennessee, Bobby Joe Maxwell. He was arrested on suspicion of killing at least 10 homeless men by stabbing them in various locations in the city’s notorious “Skid Row” neighborhood. The killer was known as the Skid Row Stabber.
The police initially suspected Maxwell because his palm print was found on a park bench near one of the crime scenes. He also had a previous arrest in the area for possessing a knife. The police had previously arrested and released two other suspects. However, with Maxwell, the police claimed that he was a Satan worshipper who killed to deliver souls to the devil.
At trial, the prosecution’s star witness was a jailhouse informant, Sidney Storch. Storch testified that Maxwell confessed to the killings. As a result, Maxwell was convicted of 2 of the 10 killings, and was sentenced to life in prison. The jury acquitted him of 2 other killings, and could not reach a verdict on the 5 remaining killings.
According to a murder defense lawyer Los Angeles, CA, doubts about the validity of Maxwell’s conviction were raised years later, when investigators discovered that jailhouse informants in Los Angeles County had been fabricating confessions in order to receive reduced sentences. In fact, some informants even stated that Storch had taught them how to “book” other inmates by learning about high profile cases from newspapers, and then use that information to claim that the inmates confessed. It was then revealed that some Los Angeles Police Department investigators had raised concerns about Storch’s reliability before his trial — doubts that were never revealed to Maxwell’s defense attorney. Storch was indicted for perjury as part of the jailhouse informant scandal, but died before he could go to trial.
More than two decades after these allegations came to light, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals — a federal court — overturned Maxwell’s convictions. While the Court ruled that it could not assess the validity of Storch’s testimony, it held that there were enough doubts about his credibility to overturn the conviction.
At this point, Bobby Joe Maxwell was not freed — instead, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office sought to try him again on the original convictions. It also obtained indictments for three of the murders that the jury had originally deadlocked on in 1984. Because Maxwell was denied bail, he is still in jail. Maxwell is now 68, and in poor health. Much of the original evidence in the case has been destroyed.
According to a murder defense lawyer Los Angeles, CA, this case represents the slow nature of the criminal justice system. Even after Storch was charged with perjury for lying about jailhouse confessions, it took more than 20 years for Maxwell’s conviction to be overturned — and he is still in jail. He has now been in jail for 34 years for crimes that he may not have committed.
Murder is an incredibly serious criminal offense in California. Anyone charged with this crime will need a top notch murder defense lawyer Los Angeles, CA to represent them. As the Bobby Joe Maxwell case demonstrates, being convicted of murder can mean a lifetime in prison — even if you may actually be innocent. An aggressive and experienced defense attorney can work with you to help prevent a travesty of justice.
If you have been charged with murder or any other crime, the Chambers Law Firm can help. Contact our office today at 714-760-4088 or dchambers@clfca.com to schedule a free initial consultation with a skilled murder defense lawyer Los Angeles, CA.
