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Friday, Mar 29, 2024

Shellie Samuels

Shellie Samuels’ claim to fame is her unsuccessful prosecution of Robert Blake for the murder of Bonny Lee Bakley, but a good chunk of her 20 years in the district attorney’s office has been devoted to the prosecution of gang members, an area of crime that may prove mysterious to many. “The average juror does not know very many gang members, so each trial is a mini-primer on gang life,” she said, “Gang cases are very challenging, but they are also a lot alike,” she said. In her work in the gangs unit, a major part of her job had been to explain the gang mindset to the jury. Many of the witnesses in these cases are also gang members, said Samuels. “It is easy to dismiss witnesses as being scum, it’s mostly gang members testifying,” she said. “It’s not hard to understand a murder during the course of a robbery. But they can’t relate to killing someone because they looked at us the wrong way. Gang members go by a whole different code.” she said. A gang’s motivation for murder is often based on respect, perceived respect, or retribution, said Samuels. Samuels stayed in the Hardcore Gang Unit for 8 & #733; years. Her work for this unit earned her the 1993 Prosecutor of the Year award given by the district attorney’s office. During her career, she has prosecuted over 50 murder trials and 100 felony charges. “I have found the gangs unit very fascinating, and wish I was much more able to do it. I went back to it after I had kids, but I found it difficult,” said Samuels. The gangs unit took up every night and every weekend of her schedule, so a little over 3 & #733; years ago, Samuels switched over to the Major Crimes Unit It was in the Major Crimes Unit that she picked up the Robert Blake case. The experience has almost sworn her off of celebrity cases like this one. “I was surprised by the verdict, surprised at how difficult it was to get a conviction on a celebrity,” she said. “Shellie’s been in office for 20 years, one of the very best murder prosecutors. She’s got experience, she works very hard and spends a lot of time with the detectives,” said Patrick Dickson, head deputy of the Major Crimes Unit at the district attorney’s office. Currently, Shellie is set to prosecute a case involving two elderly women charged with killing homeless people for their insurance. Shellie notes that even though the crime tends to take center stage in murder cases, she feels that her job is really to serve the victim of the crimes. “Sometimes the trial is an ordeal, and it is hard to listen to witnesses talking about the murder of someone they care about,” she said. “But, they have to go through the system, and it is really not geared toward victims. The goal is not only to prosecute a case but to try to work for the victims.” “In some cases I’ve never met the families, and in some the victims call you every week and always want to know what’s going on. They are very involved,” said Samuels, “so it’s very fulfilling to get a conviction and give them some kind of closure.” “Ninety-nine percent of the time you don’t hear from them again, they need to move on. I think it’s healthy that I don’t hear from them again. And sometimes they write me 10 years later on an anniversary,” said Samuels. Elizabeth Hsing-Huei Chou

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