Both Sides of the Bench

This week on Both Sides of the Bench, Shaun breaks down the Capitol Police trial following Stephen Frederick’s acquittal, the hung jury involving Michael Rhinewalt, and the Attorney General’s decision not to retry the case. Then, a look at the developing Cornell case, why comparisons are already being made to the Duke lacrosse scandal, and the danger of deciding guilt or innocence on social media...

How easy is it to secretly track somebody’s car, and when does it become a crime? This week on Both Sides of the Bench, I get into GPS trackers, jealous spouses, crazy exes, private investigators, stalking laws, and what you should do if you discover a tracking device on your vehicle. I also talk about Mississippi’s divorce laws and why I think forcing people to remain legally married can have som...

This week on Both Sides of the Bench, I break down what’s happening with the deadlocked jury in the Lindsay Clancy trial, including the so-called “dynamite charge,” reasonable doubt, and why nobody outside that jury room really knows which way the holdout juror is leaning. Then I wander into some of my favorite stories from 21 years in criminal law: putting a serial killer on death row, the defend...

Thousands of people online have decided Patrick Clancy was somehow responsible for the deaths of his three children. There’s just one problem: the evidence. I break down why the internet conspiracy makes no sense, why Lindsay Clancy’s own defense attorney would absolutely blame Patrick if the evidence supported it, and what happens when we decide someone is guilty first and go looking for facts la...

Did she kill her three children while legally insane? Can you carefully plan a murder and still be insane? And perhaps the most important question of all: how did Patrick Clancy manage to fool the police, prosecutors, forensic experts AND his own wife’s defense attorney, only to finally be exposed by a woman on Facebook whose profile picture is a golden retriever? We’ll discuss the actual evidence...

Hinds County Assistant District Attorney Gwen Agho joins me to talk about her campaign for District Attorney and her more than a decade of experience prosecuting cases in Hinds County. We discuss the backlog facing the criminal justice system, the Tim Herrington murder trial, the Jordan Cummins St. Patrick’s Day murder case, self-defense, working with victims’ families, and what actually goes into...

The appointment of a Muslim municipal judge in a small Mississippi town somehow turned into warnings that Sharia law is coming to Mississippi. But can that actually happen? On this episode of Both Sides of the Bench, I break down what Sharia law actually is, what the Constitution and Mississippi law already say about religious law, and why the controversy may have a lot more to do with politics th...

This week on Both Sides of the Bench, Shaun looks at whether you can get a DUI in a self-driving car, including the much harder question of what happens when an intoxicated person is sitting in the passenger seat while the car drives itself. The show also explores how self-driving cars could change DUI and traffic stops altogether. Plus, what can police legally search during a traffic stop? We bre...

Has social media created a second justice system where accusations spread faster than facts and people are treated as guilty before any evidence is presented? In this episode of Both Sides of the Bench, Shaun Yurtkuran uses the Nolan Wells controversy as a starting point for a much broader discussion about due process, public accusations, and the power of social media. He examines how McCarthyism...

Think you know how the criminal justice system works? Chances are you've picked up a few myths along the way. In this episode of Both Sides of the Bench, Shaun is joined by Derek McCoy of Culberson Bail Bonding to answer the questions people ask every day after an arrest. They discuss what you're legally required to do during a DUI stop, whether you should perform field sobriety tests, refusing ro...

This week on Both Sides of the Bench, I break down the legal controversy surrounding Governor Tate Reeves' appointment of Hinds County's interim District Attorney and whether Mississippi law even allows someone who doesn't live in the district to serve. If the appointment is invalid, what does that mean for indictments, plea deals, and the authority of the DA's Office? I also wrap up the Jackson b...

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...