Pennsylvania DUI Lawyer Blog

Morgan Marie Mengel of West Goshen Township in West Chester, Pennsylvania was not happy in her marriage. Instead of filing for divorce, she is on trial for his murder. According to public sources Ms. Mengel is accused of conspiring with her young lover, Stephen M. Shappel, to poisoning and fatally bludgeoning her husband, Kevin Mengel, Jr. on June 17, 2010.

On June 20, 2010, Kathleen Barton, Kevin Mengel's mother, reported her son missing after she received suspicious texts supposedly from her son stating he was "leaving the area and did not want to be bothered by anyone" stated West Goshen Police Chief Michael J. Carroll. On June 25, 2010, police investigators went to Mr. Mengel's landscaping business, MKB Property Maintenance to interview employees. While police were still on the premises, Ms. Mengel and Mr. Shappell, who was an employee at the landscaping business, arrived together and upon seeing the police, Mr. Shappell fled the scene in Ms. Mengel's truck. Police questioned Ms. Mengel. She first told police her husband left the area. Later she finally admitted that Stephen Shappell murdered her husband and she was aware of the murder.

Continue reading "Divorce or Murder Charges, Which Would You Choose?" »

As I said in previous blogs, it is possible to have charges such as simple assault, harassment or disorderly conduct dropped or reduced to a summary charge. In order to achieve this goal, the DA's office or the court may want you to attend anger management classes. Anger management is typically ordered by the court in domestic violence situations. In Delaware County, Pennsylvania there are various anger management programs that are convenient and cost-effective. The following is a summary of the programs available in Delaware County.

Rose Tree Counseling Center
1033 N. Providence road
Media, Pennsylvania 19063
(610) 566-4975
www.rosetreecounselingcenter.com

Rose Tree is a private counseling center. It offers individual counseling for your court ordered "anger management" requirement. Eight individual sessions will normally meet your obligation. The cost of each session is $75.00 each. Rose Tree Counseling may accept your insurance to help offset this cost.

Continue reading "Anger Management Options in Delaware County" »

Today, I went to District Court in Radnor, PA, Delaware County for a preliminary hearing to defend a domestic assault case at the preliminary hearing that occurred between husband and wife at the Radnor Hotel. My client had been accussed of assaulting his wife, spitting on her and pulling her hair.

This was our second court appearance. At the first listing of this case back in June, I noticed the Commonwealth did not subpeona the victim or the 3rd party witness to the alleged assault. I found this out by going to the front desk at the Radnor courthouse and speaking to court staff. Though no subpeonas were sent out, the Delaware County District Attorney's Office requested a continuance on the basis that the witness didn't show. I strongly objected to this continuance request. I argued to the Radnor judge that the Pennsylvania Rules of Criminal Procedure state that continuances should only be granted for "good cause." I didn't feel that the Radnor Police forgetting to subpeona its witnesses constituted "good cause." I explained my position ot the judge. Nonetheless, the District Judge granted the Commonwealth's continuance request. I expected this. It is normal for judges to grant a continuance at the first listing of the case, especially in domestic cases. Typically, the judge's will play it safe in these situations and give the victim an opportunity to appear at court. Judges take domestic violence seriously and want to protect victims and give them the opportunity to testify against defendants.

Continue reading "District Judge Tosses Domestic Assault Case in Radnor, PA" »