Mike Tyson Sentenced to One Day on Coke, DUI Charge

By Jeralyn, Section Crime in the News
Posted on Mon Nov 19, 2007 at 02:29:25 PM EST
Tags: Mike Tyson, David Chesnoff (all tags)

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Las Vegas criminal defense lawyer David Chesnoff is everywhere these days.

Two weeks ago, he got a good result for Darren Mack, charged with killing his wife and shooting a judge (life with parole after 20 years rather than life without parole which is what he would have gotten if the jury didn't buy Mack's insanity defense.)

He's representing David Copperfield in the alleged sex assault investigation stemming from an incident in the Bahamas, which he calls a "smear campaign." Last week he got deportation proceedings halted against an Iranian World Poker player.

And now, he's gotten boxer Mike Tyson a sentence of 24 hours in jail on a felony cocaine possession and DUI charge even though the prosecutor asked for a year in jail. Tyson's success in rehab convinced the judge not to hammer him. Nice job, David.

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Mike Tyson Sentenced to One Day on Coke, DUI Charge | 7 comments (7 topical)

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Where will the double murder (none / 0) (#1)
by oculus on Mon Nov 19, 2007 at 02:40:43 PM EST

be released when he finishes that 20-year term?

Only one killing (none / 0) (#2)
by Jeralyn on Mon Nov 19, 2007 at 03:00:36 PM EST

he murdered his wife and shot the judge, but the judge happily survived. It was all over a divorce, so I doubt you need to be worried about him should he get out in 20 years.

Charla Mack filed for divorce in 2005. In court documents, her lawyer said Darren Mack ignored [Judge]Weller's order to pay her $10,000 a month in temporary alimony. Weller found him in contempt of court, and Mack filed for bankruptcy to avoid paying.

The judge has taken his share of criticism:

In the aftermath of Darren Mack's murder trial, supporters of Judge Chuck Weller are planning a newspaper ad that praises him while critics are proposing a class-action lawsuit accusing him of unethical abuse of power.

The Judge lawyered up too -- with Gloria Allred.

: more about the judge (none / 0) (#3)
by Jeralyn on Mon Nov 19, 2007 at 03:03:02 PM EST

same link:
D
uring the trial, Weller testified about what happened the day he was hit with shrapnel as he stood in his third-floor chambers, and about his decisions in the Mack's hard-fought divorce.
When pressed by Mack lawyer David Chesnoff, Weller also defended his work on the bench and denied claims that he favored lawyers who supported his campaign. At one point, Weller was admonished by Judge Douglas Herndon for making the unsolicited statement that he had never had his reputation attacked in this way.
That comment and others drew harsh criticism from 11 jurors who agreed to speak publicly after the trial ended. Several called Weller "a jerk" and most said that his demeanor on the stand was offensive.

for $10k a month, (none / 0) (#4)
by cpinva on Mon Nov 19, 2007 at 03:11:52 PM EST

i'll be the ex wife he never had.

It was all over a divorce, so I doubt you need to be worried about him should he get out in 20 years

unless he gets married again, then i'd be worried.

: Its interesting he got any prison time; (none / 0) (#5)
by oculus on Mon Nov 19, 2007 at 03:27:43 PM EST

in CA, if the jury bought the insanity defense, he would be committed to a state hospital.

I believe that what happened (none / 0) (#6)
by Deconstructionist on Tue Nov 20, 2007 at 07:26:33 AM EST

is that he entered a guilty plea after the State rested and stands convicted of murder never having presented any defense.

I haven't followed this case, but I assume the "good result" observation is premised on his receiving a more favorable sentence pursuant to the plea agreement because the prosecution had worries the insanity defense might work and agreed to a sentence that leaves him eligible for parole after 20 years.

I'd (none / 0) (#7)
by Deconstructionist on Tue Nov 20, 2007 at 07:34:31 AM EST

question how "good" that result is. It sounds as if his best case scenario is release after 20 years and he is 46. A lot of people die relatively young in prison. Plus if he gets a consecutive sentence on the attempted murder which carries minimum of 4 before parole eligibility he would be 70 before even being eligible for parole.

That's better than life without parole but only marginally. Clearly, it was a very difficult to defend case but I'd not consider that an unusually good outcome.