How Plea Bargaining Works in Denver Criminal Court Cases
July 29, 2026
A good witness can make or break a criminal case. Witnesses can bring charges against someone, and can even be the key to a conviction. Death sentences have been overturned because a witness recanted their testimony.
Therein lies the problem. A fair criminal justice system is not just the responsibility of prosecutors, lawyers, and judges. All citizens have to contribute to ensure fair trials and a fair system. – including witnesses.
That’s why the Colorado Springs Police Department has issued [...]
Navigating the Colorado court system is not an easy task. Forget figuring out your defense strategy. Just finding which court you will have to report to can be confusing. Denver specifically has multiple court systems that handle legal matters, including municipal courts, district courts, and more.
For this blog post, we will focus on municipal and district courts. Both of these courts deal with legal matters that take place within Colorado borders, and generally follow the same procedure, but there [...]
It’s stressful enough to be charged with a crime. The last thing you may want to do is shop around for a criminal defense attorney and talk legal fees. Choosing the right attorney, however, may mean the difference between years in jail and dropped charges.
Keep the following questions in mind while searching for and consulting with different criminal defense attorneys about your situation.
How Long Have You Been Practicing Law?
An attorney’s years of experience and the number of [...]
Being charged with a crime can be incredibly stressful. You don’t want to plead guilty, but how can you prove your innocence or lessen your sentence?
Luckily, there are many ways to defend against criminal charges. Some are well known, like self-defense, but did you know that hypoglycemia can be used as a defense in some cases? Do you know about the “make my day” law, and how can it help you in court?
Below we have a few examples [...]
Recently, Johnny Manziel, the former Cleveland Browns quarterback and 2012 Heisman Trophy winner, was indicted on domestic violence charges. Colleen Crowley, one of Manziel’s ex-girlfriends, is accusing him of hitting and threatening her in an assault that took place in February.
This case is getting a lot of coverage in the media due to Manziel’s celebrity and notoriety, but it does bring up a common question concerning domestic violence charges. Although Manziel was formerly indicted by a grand jury for [...]
Most criminal cases in Denver do not end with a jury verdict. They end with a decision: whether to accept a plea agreement, reject the offer, keep negotiating, or prepare for trial. That decision can shape your record, your freedom, your sentence, your probation terms, and your future long after the court date.
A plea bargain is not just “taking a deal.” It is a legal agreement that may involve reduced charges, dismissed counts, sentencing limits, probation terms, restitution, treatment [...]
A police crash report can make a serious collision look settled before the defense has examined the evidence. It may assign fault, estimate speed, describe the point of impact, and frame the driver’s conduct as reckless or impaired. In a Denver vehicular assault case, those early conclusions can influence charging decisions, plea negotiations, and how prosecutors present the case.
The problem is that a police report is not proof. Officers often prepare crash reports based on witness statements, final vehicle [...]
Assault charges in Colorado can range from a misdemeanor accusation after a physical confrontation to a serious felony carrying years in prison. The difference usually depends on the alleged intent, the level of injury, whether a weapon was involved, and whether the alleged victim falls into a protected category under Colorado law.
That distinction matters immediately. A misdemeanor assault case may still carry jail time, fines, a permanent criminal record, and collateral consequences for employment, housing, licensing, and your reputation. [...]