Both Sides of the Bench

With Jody Owens out as Hinds County District Attorney, there's been plenty of confusion about who is actually running the office and what happens next. In this episode, I break down the temporary appointment of Brad McCullough, the governor's role in selecting the next DA, whether Owens' guilty plea could impact past convictions, and the challenges facing whoever takes over one of Mississippi's mo...

Could your significant other get you arrested? This Saturday on Both Sides of the Bench, we're talking about constructive possession, spousal privilege, and why dating the wrong person can sometimes turn into a criminal case. If drugs are found in a house, whose drugs are they? And if both of you get arrested, can your spouse testify against you? We'll also break down the Broadmoor shooting that l...

Tomorrow's show took an unexpected turn. We'll be discussing the shooting on Broadmoor Drive and a question that always generates strong opinions: Can you legally shoot someone for breaking into your car? We'll also talk about constructive possession and why dating the wrong person can sometimes lead to criminal charges you never saw coming. The law and common sense don't always line up, and we'll...

The Jackson bribery trial is heating up, and one proposed expert witness may be the most unusual part yet: a psychologist set to testify about how alcohol affected the district attorney's judgment. As a former prosecutor, I've never seen this strategy before. Here's why I think the judge is likely to keep that testimony out and what it says about the defense's game plan.

Former prosecutor and current criminal defense attorney Shaun Yurtkuran breaks down the Karmelo Anthony verdict and explains why the jury reached its decision. From self-defense and proportionality to Batson challenges, imperfect self-defense, the Castle Doctrine, and whether defendants should ever testify, Shaun separates courtroom reality from social media narratives. He also discusses how onlin...

Former drug dealer turned successful entrepreneur Teddy McRaney joins Shaun Yurtkuran for a candid conversation about life in the drug trade, the money, the risks, and what it took to walk away from that world. Teddy shares how he went from selling dope to building Double Wide's Crawfish into a successful business and explains why many of the same skills that make someone successful on the streets...

For decades, people have heard the same advice after a DUI stop: "Don't blow." But is that actually good advice? In this episode of Both Sides of the Bench, former prosecutor and Mississippi criminal defense attorney Shaun Yurtkuran breaks down the reality behind refusing a breathalyzer. Learn the difference between roadside breath tests and the Intoxilyzer, why refusing can trigger a 90-day licen...

Netflix's The Crash has reignited debate over one of the most controversial murder cases in recent memory. Did Mackenzie Shirilla intentionally drive her car into a building, killing her boyfriend Dominic Russo and friend Davion Flanagan, or was it a tragic act of reckless driving that prosecutors turned into a murder case? In this episode of Both Sides of the Bench, former prosecutor and criminal...

Good morning! A quick Saturday briefing before today's show. We'll discuss the latest development in the federal Jackson bribery case, where the plea deadline has come and gone with no notices filed indicating that any defendant intends to plead guilty. What does that mean for former Mayor Chokwe Lumumba, Hinds County DA Jody Owens, Aaron Banks, and the upcoming trial? Plus, a preview of today's 1...

Memorial Day weekend in Mississippi means BBQs, alcohol, fireworks, family arguments, and sometimes criminal investigations. On this episode of Both Sides of the Bench, former prosecutor and criminal defense attorney Shaun Yurtkuran discusses how holiday weekends can quickly turn violent and how Mississippi self defense law actually works in the real world. Shaun breaks down common legal myths sur...

The Jackson Bribery Trial: Jury Pool & Entrapment Explained In this episode, criminal defense lawyer and former prosecutor Shaun Yurtkuran breaks down two of the biggest legal questions surrounding the upcoming federal bribery trial involving Hinds County DA Jody Owens, former Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba, and Aaron Banks. First, where will the jury actually come from? Shaun explains how federal...

Does Entrapment Ever Work? In this episode, criminal defense lawyer and former prosecutor Shaun Yurtkuran breaks down one of the most misunderstood defenses in American criminal law: entrapment. What does entrapment actually mean? Are undercover cops and FBI agents allowed to lie, create fake businesses, run fake bribery schemes, and pretend to be criminals? Where is the legal line between uncover...

In this 5 min clip, criminal defense lawyer and former prosecutor Shaun Yurtkuran explains how jury selection will actually work in the federal bribery trial involving Hinds County DA Jody Owens, former Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba, and Councilman Aaron Banks. A lot of people believe the jury will come only from Hinds County, but federal court works very differently. Shaun breaks down how jurors are...

One of the more interesting discussions from Saturday’s show was my theory that if anybody flips in the federal bribery case, it may end up being the Mayor flipping on the District Attorney. Why? Because in federal conspiracy cases, everybody starts doing the math once the recordings, money trail, and sentencing exposure become real. In this clip, I break down how cooperation agreements actually w...

On today’s show, I explained why the federal bribery sting case involving Hinds County DA Jody Owens is very different from the famous John DeLorean FBI sting case, even though both involved undercover operations, recordings, and entrapment arguments. The biggest difference? In the DeLorean case, the government looked like it was dragging a financially desperate businessman into a crime that would...

This week on Both Sides of the Bench, Shaun breaks down the federal bribery sting case involving Hinds County DA Jody Owens, Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba, and Aaron Banks after a federal judge denied the motion to dismiss but allowed the defense to argue entrapment to the jury. What is entrapment really? Can the FBI create fake crimes? Are undercover agents allowed to lie, buy drinks, fly targets ar...

This week on Both Sides of the Bench, former prosecutor turned criminal defense attorney Shaun Yurtkuran pulls the curtain back on how criminal cases are really built and why “being cooperative” with police can sometimes make your situation dramatically worse. Hour One focuses on one of the biggest misconceptions people have about the justice system: police are not your personal investigators, the...

This week on Both Sides of the Bench, criminal defense attorney and former prosecutor Shaun Yurtkuran breaks down how modern relationships, breakups, smartphones, and social media are creating criminal cases in Mississippi every single day. We discuss domestic violence charges, protective orders, no-contact orders, harassment laws, revenge porn statutes, gun rights, and the growing role phones, sc...

Are social media companies intentionally designing platforms to keep kids addicted? Today’s show dives into the growing wave of lawsuits and massive verdicts against Meta, YouTube, and other tech giants over claims that their algorithms are engineered to maximize addiction, especially among children and teenagers. Shaun breaks down why these cases are starting to resemble the Big Tobacco litigatio...

This week on Both Sides of the Bench, Shaun Yurtkuran spends two full hours breaking down the legal myths and internet “advice” that get people convicted every day. Hour one focuses on modern criminal investigation myths in the digital age: • Can police use your ChatGPT conversations against you? • Does deleting text messages actually delete evidence? • Do police have to tell you they’re recording...

Everybody thinks they know how criminal law works… until they’re the one in the system. In this episode, I break down some of the biggest misconceptions I hear every day—things people believe that actually end up hurting their case. From Miranda rights to DUI refusals, to the idea that a victim can “drop charges,” we walk through how these situations really play out in court. I’ve handled these ca...

Most people think they understand how criminal cases work. They don’t. In this episode, I break down three real scenarios that show how quickly things fall apart between what seems obvious and what the law actually requires. First, an aggravated DUI case where the driver was well over the legal limit, caused a crash, and the victim died—but that still wasn’t enough to guarantee a conviction. The m...

I kicked off my new show by telling the story of how my legal career actually started—and it’s not what you think. At 25 years old, fresh out of law school, I walked into federal court to try my first case with no file, no partner, and no clue what I was doing. The client? A man who had killed two cops and was now suing the State of Mississippi.  From there, I get into how I first met Robert Shule...