Attorney Tommy Duck helped his client, Eric Brown, obtain an acquittal on all six charges — felony murder, home invasion, three charges of aggravated assault, and conspiracy to commit armed robbery — after being accused of the death of Dontavious Rutland in 2016.
“On November 30, 2016, Javiel (Toomer) shot and killed Dontavious Rutland," he said in his opening statements at trial. "We don’t disagree with that. We do disagree that Eric Brown had anything to do with it.”
Attorney Duck said that his client was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time when the home invasion occurred. The state argued that Brown was an accomplice with two other men who sought drugs and money in Rutland’s home.
On that day, Brown asked Toomer — who is also charged — for a ride home. When he attempts to get into the back seat of the vehicle, Brown discovers something in the way and moves it—that something turned out to be a shotgun.
After finding the firearm, Brown was reluctant to take the ride with Toomer. Attorney Duck said his client had no clue that the ride home would take a detour to Rutland’s home.
At the beginning of the trial, the media covered the case around the clock in order to criminalize Brown before he had ever stepped foot inside a courtroom. But when the trial came to an end after Brown was found not guilty on all counts, only a short article was released summarizing the jury’s decision.
Since the prosecution’s attempt to paint a clear picture of the events that transpired in their favor had failed, the narrative described by the local news didn’t hold ground — resulting in utter silence at the conclusion of the trial.
Alas, Attorney Duck understood the real story and helped his client obtain the best possible outcome in his case. With more than a decade of legal experience, he is committed to protecting the rights, reputations, and future of his clients throughout Albany and the surrounding areas.
For more information about our legal services, contact Thomas V. Duck III, P.C. today at (229) 999-4147 and schedule a confidential case evaluation.