K.C.,MO: The 1998 cold case murder of 17 year old Martin Keif seemed to be on it's way to a resolution until a well respected defense attorney brought everything to a screeching halt.
Jared O'Connell Esq. (aka Mr. Not Guilty) is one of the most formidable criminal defense attorneys in Missouri. He's won multiple jaw-dropping acquittals that the local legal community refer to as O. J. level. Earlier this week he tarnished his reputation and perhaps even put his own law license in jeopardy.
The incident occurred during a pretrial hearing. He stood up and objected to the wording in the indictment "with malice and forethought". "Your honor, a thrill killing, while having forethought clearly lacks malice..."
He stopped mid sentence- realizing what he'd done. In addition to incriminating his client he could also have problems with the bar for entering a not guilty plea; which under the law is illegal if the attorney knows their client is guilty. The judge granted a mistrial, which- while not a win is still a small victory, at least for the wealthy defendant who was able to secure bail. His bail has been revoked and authorities are unable to locate him.
