Theft

So many artists have made songs up about the infamous couple Bonnie and Clyde like as Beyonce & Jay Z.  These has even been films on this couple.  But what really happened?  An Austin criminal attorney would find some of these old school high profile criminal cases interesting.  Take a trip into the past and learn about criminal cases that took place in Texas like the notorious love affair of Bonnie and Clyde and the Texas Cadet Murder Case.

Beyonce (Bonnie) & Jay Z(Clyde)

Notorious Bonnie and Clyde
Did you know that one of the most notorious criminal couples met in Texas?  Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow met in 1930.  The star-crossed criminals, ages 19 and 21 respectively, went on a three year crime spree until their death at the hands of FBI agents in 1934.  Between the both of them, Bonnie and Clyde murdered at least 13 people, and were involved in numerous robberies, burglaries, car thefts, and kidnapping.

Bonnie and Clyde (1967)

The Texas Cadet Murder Case
Two bright Texas students, Diane Zamora and David Graham, were arrested for the murder of 16 year old sophomore Adrianne Jones of Manfield High School in Tarrant County.

In 1995, Zamora was jealous of a sexual encounter she thought Graham had with Jones.  She ordered Graham to kill Jones.  Although the body was found soon after the murder, the couple’s involvement was not discovered until Zamora boasted to fellow students at the Naval Academy in Annapolis that she was responsible for someone’s death.  The students reported the murder to their superiors and that started the ball rolling and the couple was arrested shortly thereafter.  At the time, Graham was a cadet at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, and both had very promising futures.  Both Zamora and Graham were charged with capital murder and in need of a criminal defense lawyer.

How can you defraud your mother? That was probably the thought of witness and close friend of Brooke Astor, Henry Kissinger.

In 2007, well-known New York socialite and philanthropist Brooke Astor passed away at the age of 105. Today, however, her name is still running through headlines as her son Anthony D. Marshall, 85, has been found guilty of being involved in a conspiracy to defraud his late mother of her nearly $200-million fortune.

Marshall, a former U.S. ambassador and Tony Award-winning Broadway producer, has been undergoing a five-month trial for allegedly coercing his mother into unknowingly signing away millions of dollars to him.

Before her death due to pneumonia, Astor suffered from Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. During this time, Marshall, along with estate attorney Francis Morrissey, allegedly “tricked” Astor into signing a number of misleading papers in a private meeting in 2004. Because of her confused and unaware state, Astor unknowingly signed away millions of dollars to her son thinking all of the money was going to various charities.

According to close friends and family, Astor’s Alzheimer’s was so intense that she was unable to recognize the people close to her.

Marshall Found Guilty

The case came to light five months ago, and after 11 days of deliberation the jury found Marshall guilty on 14 of the 16 counts against him. Witnesses on the stand included Marshall’s close friends including Barbara Walters and Henry Kissinger, along with Astor’s former nurses, maids and butler who aided her through the years of her illness.

The charges against Marshall included grand larceny, which involved the theft of cash and expensive art pieces, possession of a variety of stolen property, and conspiracy to defraud the late Astor. With these charges, Marshall could receive up to 25 years in prison. Morrissey, on the other hand, was convicted on five charges against him, including conspiracy, scheming to defraud and forgery for altering Astor’s will. He could spend up to seven years in prison.

Marshall, how come you just didn’t ask instead of stealing from your own mother?

So, what kind of punishment do you think crooked financier Bernard Madoff received after cheating his clients out of billions of dollars and earning the title as the biggest con artist in history? His eleven felony counts, including money laundering, perjury and securities fraud charges has the legal system stumped for now. More than likely the 71 year old will spend the rest of his natural life behind bars since the chances of him finishing the possible 150-year prison term is slim to none. Madoff was arrested in December of 2008 and has been free on $10 million bail until March 2009 when the judge ordered him to await the sentencing phase, which was scheduled for June 16, in jail. The sentencing date has since been moved to June 29. Check back for updates to see what lies ahead in this felon’s future.