Frank Carson has finally been quieted in court.
The veteran criminal defense attorney, once the pugnacious go-to guy for Stanislaus County residents in big legal trouble, is now a defendant himself. Prosecutors say Carson was the mastermind of a complex, multiple-suspect conspiracy that resulted in the 2012 death of a Turlock man. So now Carson spends his days sitting silently in a Modesto courtroom, watching the preliminary hearing that will determine whether he faces a murder trial...
But this is a strange case, one that involves nine defendants—including three California Highway Patrol officers—and a history of bad blood between the defendant and the district attorney's office... "He just is not a friendly person when you're opposing him," said his lawyer, Martinez. "He rubs prosecutors the wrong way. The people in the community love Frank Carson. The problem is that every prosecutor who has to try a case against him, they hate him"...
The entire Stanislaus County bench has recused itself from the case. Contra Costa Superior Court Judge Barbara Zuniga is overseeing the preliminary hearing. The proceedings move at a tedious pace at times, with six defense attorneys offering numerous objections to witness statements. The hearing finished its second week Friday. Prosecutors, who submitted a list of 70 potential witnesses, had projected a four-week proceeding. That seems optimistic.