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Cloquet, Minnesota
February 21, 2007

Mr. Stanziano has finally completed work on his latest paper: Building a Better Bombshell: Considerations for Mixing the Ingredients of Your Story Correctly. The paper deals with the proper mix of Notion and Narrative within the telling of the client's story of innocence or reduced culpability and has been submitted for publication. You can find it here, first.

Persuasion Consultants Enters Joint Venture Agreement with Norfleet Law Firm!

Somerset, Kentucky
Cloquet, Minnesota
August 20, 2007

When Somerset, Kentucky criminal defense attorney Robert E. Norfleet saw the hole left in the local criminal defense practice by the departure of long-time Kentucky criminal defense advocate Mark Stanziano, he sought to fill the gap ... by bringing Stanziano back. On July 1, 2007 Norfleet and Persuasion Consultants entered into a joint venture agreement whereby Stanziano will work as a consultant with Norfleet on numerous felony cases. Read more about the venture here.

Stanziano Debuts Archetype Theory at Criminal Defense Lawyers' Conference

Elizabeth, Indiana
November 16, 2007

After more than six months of work researching and developing his theory on how using archetypes to tell a client's story can make the difference in how the jury sees the case presented to it, Mark Stanziano of Persuasion Consultants presented his theory to the Kentucky Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers at their Annual Conference and Seminar at Caesar's Indiana on November 16, 2007. "The presentation was very well received among the younger lawyers," said Stanziano. "I think that some of the older attorneys in attendance were asking themselves 'what the hell is this?'," he laughed. Read more about where archetypes comes from how archetypes pervade our subconscious, and access the links for the archetype work of Mark, Nevada attorney Tami Cowden, Dr. Carolyn Myss and others here.

Juvenile Charged with Murder After Car Accident, Not Transferred to Adult Court, Pleads to Reckless Homicide and is Released!

Pulaski County, Kentucky
November, 2007

It didn't take long for the joint venture agreement between Somerset attorney Robert Norfleet and Persuasion Consultants to bear fruit. Pulaski County (Ky.) District Court Judge Scott Lawless accepted the plea of Norfleet's juvenile client to Reckless Homicide, thereby ending an eight-month case, where the juvenile was originally charged with Murder and threatened with transfer to Circuit Court to stand trial as an adult. Read more about the case here.

Published Again!

Cloquet, Minnesota
September, 2007

Mark's newest article, "Building a Better Bombshell: Are You Mixing the Ingredients of Your Story Correctly?" appeared in the Kentucky Department of Public Advocacy's periodic publication, The Advocate (p 14). The article explains the continuum between the Purely Notional and the Purely Narrative in storytelling. How the trial lawyer mixes notion and narrative in the telling of his or her story of a client's innocence or reduced culpability is critical to the acceptance of the story by the listener. To access the article follow this link.

Juvenile Receives Two Stays of Adjudication!

Carlton County, Minnesota
August, 2007

Carlton County (Mn.) District Court Judge Dale Wolf turned aside recommendations of the probation office to Stay the Adjudication of one charge and Stay the Execution of a second pending against a juvenile litigant. Instead, the judge, moved by the arguments of defense counsel Mark Stanziano, ordered the adjudications stayed on both charges for a period of six months providing the juvenile comply with certain other conditions including community service. Read more about the case here.

Young Woman Avoids Death Penalty, Receives Probation

June, 2007

Kathi Shelton hung around with people who made her feel good about herself and who accepted her despite her life-altering injuries suffered in a nearly fatal car wreck during her senior year of high school. Unfortunately, during one week of off-and-on partying, some of these people decided to go out an rob and beat a wheel-chair bound man to death, and his brother nearly to death, in their own home. Though, one of the killers was Kathi's boyfriend, Kathi was not with them when they committed their heinous acts. Nonetheless, Kathi was charged with Complicity to Commit Robbery and Murder and initially faced the death penalty as a possible punishment. Through the hard work of Mark Stanziano, the charges were reduced to one count of Receiving Stolen Property (some of the brother's property was in her car) and one count of Facilitating the Manufacture of Methamphetamine and Kathi received a sentence of five years imprisonment, probated. Read more about the case here.

Kentucky Man Free After Questionable Conviction Overturned

May, 2007

Calvin Carrender found himself facing two indictments for Manufacturing Methamphetamine. Rather than face the possibility of spending the rest of his life in prison, Carrender took his lawyer's advice and entered pleas to two charges of Possession of Methamphetamine Precursors, taking a 10-year sentence as part of the deal. However, Carrender is free today after Somerset attorney, Robert E. Norfleet and Persuasion Consultants teamed up to challenge the effectiveness of Carrender's court-appointed counsel. Read more about the case here.

Evelyn Ball Acquitted in Death Penalty Murder Case!

Williamsburg, Kentucky
September 30, 2006

In a stunning turn of events that courthouse observers said would never happen, Evelyn Ball walked out of the Whitley Circuit Courtroom at 6:15 p.m., a jury acquitting her of charges of Murder and Robbery in connection with the death of Edward Perkins; charges which could have brought the death penalty had Ball been convicted of them.

Defense counsel Mark J. Stanziano, of Persuasion Consultants, Cloquet, Minnesota and Brenda Popplewell of Somerset, Kentucky celebrated the verdict with their client and her family outside of the courthouse before everyone set off for a dinner celebration.

What shocked most courtroom observers was that Ms. Evans, who was charged only as an accomplice to Ms. Ball–she was only charged with assisting Ms. Ball in the killing and robbery of Mr. Perkins–was found guilty by the jury of being the principal–the person who actually killed and robbed Mr. Perkins–in the crimes. Indeed, Ms. Evans was unable to stand after the verdict was read and sobbed uncontrollably as the jury later read its recommendation of life in prison for the murder and 20 years for the robbery. The jury recommended that the sentences be served consecutively, one after the other, but Kentucky law prohibits a sentence longer than "life." She will be eligible for parole after serving 20 years in prison.

Ball, who had been held in custody for 28 months before the verdict, had been charged along with co-defendant, Loretta Evans, of brutally beating and strangling Mr. Perkins. Ms. Ball, who had not hugged her two adult sons during her incarceration gave each of the boys several bear hugs during the celebration outside the courthouse and afterward.

Stanziano, who was only able to become involved in the case thirty days before the trial was to begin, attributed the jury's verdict to several important factors. "First, the jury was the perfect fit for this case. They were well-educated, serious about their role and very attentive. Second, the defense experts (Dr. Steven Dunton [Medical Examiner] and Mr. Larry Dehus [Forensic Investigation]) were well-prepared as well as interesting and utterly believable on the stand. Third, Brenda never stopped believing in Evelyn's innocence. Her pre-trial preparation was extraordinary and made it very easy for me to get up to speed on the important issues in the case."

For her part, Ms. Popplewell said, "The jury was wonderful. But, and I have no trouble saying this, the day that Mark came on to the defense team, Evelyn won the lottery; and I told her so. If he had not been here to assist, I don't know that the verdict would have been the same and I am afraid an innocent woman would be headed to Death Row right now."

For more on this story, go to http://www.thetimestribune.com and enter either of the following names in the Archives Search link: Loretta Evans or Evelyn Ball. Or, see the following link: http://www.thetimestribune.com/apstorysection/local_story_270104332.html.

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